In the first half of 2021, the integration of ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft was almost finished by staff at Airbus Friedrichshafen, Germany, and the ESA project team. Following the near-completion, Juice was transported from Friedrichshafen to ESA/ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. With it, a whole team of people from Airbus arrived and got settled in their new temporary spot at ESTEC. They follow the spacecraft wherever it goes... on Earth!

Juice was prepared for a year-long test campaign, that took place at ESTEC until July 2021 and continued at Airbus in Toulouse, France, later that same summer.

November 2023 update: This episode is part of a film project that culminated in a two-hour documentary film released in November 2023.

Access the other episodes of ‘The making of Juice’

Credit: ESA/Lightcurve Films, original music by William Zeitler