King Philippe and Prince Gabriel paid a visit to the Guiana Space Center on the eve of the Juice satellite launch to Jupiter. The King was given the opportunity to tour the launch pad of Ariane 5, which will launch Juice towards Jupiter and its moons in a mission spanning ten years. The weather had cast doubt on the operation, but improvements made it more amenable. The King and his son were also given a briefing on the challenges of the “launch of the decade” by Arianespace’s CEO, Stéphane Israel. Attendees included the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. This launch marked the final performance of the “legendary” Ariane 5, with its successor, Ariane 6, slated to make its debut in the last quarter of 2023.
King Philippe and Prince Gabriel visited the Guiana Space Center on Wednesday, on the eve of the long-awaited launch of the Juice satellite to Jupiter.
From dawn, the sovereign was able to visit the launch pad of Ariane 5, which will propel Juice on Thursday morning (2:15 p.m. in Belgium) Juice towards Jupiter and its main moons as part of a mission that will span around ten ‘years.
The King and his son, who were invited to fly over the Center in a helicopter, were then treated to a briefing detailing the challenges of the “launch of the decade”, as described by the CEO of Arianespace, Stéphane Israel. The weather, which cast doubt on the operation, now looks more lenient, he also rejoiced in front of an audience of guests including the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
A page will turn in Kourou, since it will be the penultimate performance of the “legendary” Ariane 5, inaugurated in 1996 and which has more than 100 launches to its name.
Its successor – Ariane 6 – is expected to debut in the last quarter of 2023.
As the launch of the Juice satellite to Jupiter draws near, King Philippe and Prince Gabriel visited the Guiana Space Center to witness the historic event. Despite doubts cast by the weather, the CEO of Arianespace remains confident, describing it as the “launch of the decade.” The visit was also significant as it marked the penultimate launch of the “legendary” Ariane 5, which will soon be succeeded by Ariane 6. With the mission expected to span around ten years, we can only wait with bated breath to witness the groundbreaking discoveries that the Juice satellite will bring.