Following the resolution of the communication issue, Juice has resumed normal operations and is now preparing for its Venus flyby, during which its high-gain antenna will be used as a shield against solar heat, temporarily suspending scientific instruments and image collection.

The anomaly was managed without impacting the mission, thanks to the calm and methodical approach of the engineering team.

The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) successfully resolved a communication anomaly that occurred during a routine ground station pass on July 16, which threatened its upcoming Venus flyby scheduled for August 31.

Despite the anomaly, the recovery was achieved with minimal disruption, allowing Juice to proceed with its planned flyby of Venus at 07:28 CEST, on its way to Jupiter.

During the Venus flyby, Juice will use its main antenna as a thermal shield against solar heat, which will temporarily suspend scientific activities and image collection.

The engineering team implemented measures to prevent recurrence of the software timing bug responsible for the anomaly, ensuring the spacecraft’s communication systems remain operational for future critical maneuvers.

The root cause was identified as a software timing bug involving an internal counter that resets every 16 months and affected the transmitter; a fix was applied after nearly 20 hours of troubleshooting, reactivating the signal amplifier.

The communication loss on July 16 was initially suspected to be caused by onboard system or antenna misalignment issues, but it was ultimately traced to a software bug affecting the transmitter.

The mission aims to study Jupiter and its moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa, focusing on their potential habitability and the magnetic, radiation, and plasma environment of the Jupiter system.

Juice's trajectory involves gravity-assist maneuvers at Venus and Earth to reach Jupiter in July 2031, with upcoming flybys in 2026 and 2029 to refine its orbit for the final arrival.