On Thursday (April 13), the European Space Agency (ESA) is launching an exciting new mission to study whether the moons of Jupiter have the potential to host alien life: the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, also known as JUICE. And you can watch the launch happen, thanks to ESA's live coverage, which is scheduled to start at 7:45 a.m. EDT (1145 GMT), with the launch set to happen at 8:15 a.m. EDT (1215 GMT).
JUICE is a satellite that will study three of Jupiter's 92 known moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Each of these worlds has an ocean of water hidden underneath an icy shell. These subsurface waters are an important target for astronomers searching for life beyond Earth, since they have the potential to host life. According to ESA, JUICE will investigate this key question: "Is the origin of life unique to our planet, or could it occur elsewhere in our solar system — or beyond?”
