A spacecraft that’s on it way to Jupiter is “pinballing” around the solar system, getting an extra “kick” as it zips close to the planets. It’ll get the next kick tomorrow, from Venus.

The spacecraft is JUICE – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer. It’s scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in 2031. But it needs help to get there. And it gets that help from the gravity of Venus, Earth, and the Moon.

During each encounter, the craft “steals” a bit of gravitational energy. That speeds it up and sculpts its path around the Sun. The encounters drastically reduce the amount of fuel JUICE must carry, cutting its size and weight and reducing its cost. JUICE flew past Earth and the Moon a year ago. It’ll get additional boosts from Earth in 2026 and ’29.

JUICE will scan Venus as it flies past. That will give scientists some extra information about the planet. And it’ll give engineers a chance to check out the craft’s instruments.

When JUICE arrives at Jupiter, it’ll orbit the planet for almost three years. After that, it’ll begin orbiting the planet’s largest moon, Ganymede. Its observations of Ganymede and Jupiter’s other icy moons will reveal details about their possible buried oceans, which could be habitats for microscopic life.

Venus and Jupiter are in the dawn sky now. Venus is the brilliant “morning star,” with slightly fainter Jupiter to its upper right – two destinations for a “pinballing” explorer.

Script by Damond Benningfield