The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft has completed a flyby of Earth and the Moon. The spacecraft hovered ~6,840 mi above Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

JUICE launched from Earth in April 2023 and is now on its way to Venus. It is expected to return to Earth for gravity assists in 2026 and 2029. After that, JUICE will travel to Jupiter and its moons, targeted to be completed in July 2031.

Planetary and lunar flybys are crucial for JUICE because the gravitational tides of these plants and moons will help slingshot the spacecraft toward its destination, allowing trajectory changes with minimal fuel usage. The Moon flyby slowed the spacecraft by ~2,000 miph, and the Earth flyby slowed it by ~10,700 miph. The flybys also put JUICE on its new trajectory toward Venus by deflecting the spacecraft's path by 100 degrees relative to its incoming trajectory and saving ~150 kg of fuel.