ESA's JUICE spacecraft will use Earth's gravity to steal speed on its way to Jupiter

ESA's JUICE spacecraft will fly past Earth on September 28 for its third gravity assist, using the planet's gravity to bend its trajectory by about 20 degrees and gain roughly 3.5 km/s in speed on its journey toward Jupiter. The spacecraft will pass about 8,640 km from Earth while observing our planet and the Moon and testing navigation techniques ahead of its arrival at Jupiter, where it will study the gas giant and its ocean-bearing moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa, including their potential habitability. Credit: ESA/GettyImages/NASA