Dust environment predictions for the ESA L-class mission JUICE

Abstract

We analyse the impacts of dust particles of radii 0.2–2μm along the JUICE (JUpiter ICy moon Explorer) trajectory within the Jovian system. We determine the impact rate per m2 of spacecraft cross-sectional area. We estimate an extrapolation of these impact rates to particle sizes 2–20μm and 20–200μm. We study in particular the impact hazard before and near Europa, due to the particular interest in the avoidance of a critical spacecraft failure in this region. We determine that impact-generated ejecta from the surface of Ganymede dominate the impacts on JUICE by nearly two orders of magnitude. However, these impacts are expected to have very low (2–3kms−1) impact velocities on JUICE, whereas the Jovicentric dust cloud can produce impact velocities up to ∼8kms−1, and potentially higher for the ∼5% of impacts that we estimate are likely to have eccentricities in excess of 0.8.