ESA's Juice Spacecraft Completes Lunar Flyby

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) successfully performed a lunar flyby on August 19-20, 2024, capturing stunning images of the Moon that show some real color differences on its surface. While Andrew Coates from UCL noted that the colorations could stem from various factors including ground pigmentation and sunlight effects, ESA representatives categorized the colors primarily as shades of grey based on the Moon's geological features. The images, taken by the Janus camera and monitoring cameras, are part of a gravitational maneuver intended to accelerate Juice towards its ultimate destination, Jupiter. In conjunction, Lunar Outpost has announced its Lunar Voyage 1 mission in partnership with Castrol, aiming to explore the Moon's south pole and potentially conduct the first sale of space resources. As part of this mission, the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover will scout for resources, with support from Castrol in navigation and operations. Both missions are significant steps in expanding humanity's exploration and commercial endeavors on the Moon.