Ariane flight VA260

Ariane flight VA260

Ariane 5 launching the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission to Jupiter
Ariane 5 ECA+ launch
Launch	14 April 2023 (2023-04-14), 12:14 UTC
Operator	Arianespace
Pad	Guiana Space Centre, ELA-3
Payload	Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
Outcome	Success
Components
Serial no.	5120
Ariane launches
←  VA259 VA261  →

Ariane flight VA260 was an Ariane 5 rocket flight that launched the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) into space on 14 April 2023. It was 2023's first Ariane flight, and the 116th Ariane 5 mission. ^{[1] [2]}

Launch configuration

Rocket

Main article: Ariane 5

Ariane 5 is a heavy lift two-stage rocket with two solid fuel boosters. It was used in its ECA+ variant, which offers the highest payload mass capacity. The total launch mass of the vehicle is 770,000 kg (1,700,000 lb).

ESA image showing Ariane 5 launch important missions

Payload

Main article: Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

The only payload on the flight was the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), an orbiter going to planet Jupiter built by Airbus Defence and Space for ESA. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

ESA image showing deployment timeline of JUICE mission before and after launch

Preparation

Launch preparation began after the arrival of JUICE in Kourou, French Guiana, then it after fuelling and other works the JUICE spacecraft was Integrated with Ariane 5. ^[6] After completing all preparations, the rocket was rolled out to the launch pad a day before launch. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

JUICE satellite during Integration

JUICE is the first European mission to Jupiter. ^[10]

Launch

The rocket was launched from the ELA-3 launch pad of the Guiana Space Centre on 14 April 2023 at 12:24 UTC. ^{[11] [12]}

Orbit

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer was injected into an Interplanetary trajectory that took it to multiple flybys until reaching its destination planet Jupiter. ^[13]

ESA image showing milestones of ESA JUICE Mission before reaching Jupiter

See also

• Spaceflight portal

• Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
• Ariane launches

References

1. "Ariane Flight VA260". Newsroom Arianespace. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
2. "Juice". www.esa.int. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
3. "NASA Astrobiology". astrobiology.nasa.gov. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
4. "JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer)". www.eoportal.org. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
5. "JUICE: Exploring Jupiter's Moons". Space. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
6. "Juice meets Ariane 5". www.esa.int. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
7. "Ariane 5 flight VA260, Juice: fully integrated and ready for rollout". www.esa.int. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
8. "Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice - Rollout". www.esa.int. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
9. Foust, Jeff (12 April 2023). "Ariane 5 ready to launch ESA's JUICE mission to Jupiter". SpaceNews. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
10. Clark, Stephen (13 April 2023). "Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket launches Europe's first mission to Jupiter". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
11. "ESA's Juice lifts off on quest to discover secrets of Jupiter's icy moons". www.esa.int. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
12. https://spacenews.com/tag/ariane-5-flight-va260/
13. "Juice on final stretch for launch to Jupiter". www.esa.int. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2025.