First discovered 400 years ago by astronomer Galileo Galilei, Jupiter’s icy moons were long overlooked as potential candidates to host life.
But previous space probes have suggested that beneath their icy shells, there are vast oceans of liquid water – a key ingredient for life as we know it.
This has made Ganymede and Europa prime candidates in the search for life in our celestial backyard.
Europa will be investigated by NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which is scheduled to launch in October 2024.
Meanwhile, JUICE has turned its attention to Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System and the only moon that has its own magnetic field, which protects it from radiation.