ESA’s JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission is set to target the dark Jovian moon Kallichore in 2031, according to coverage of the mission’s scientific targets. Jupiter has more than 100 moons, but attention often focuses on the four largest Galilean satellites—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
The emphasis on the Galilean moons stems from their distinctive and well-studied properties, including Io’s intense volcanic activity and Europa’s suspected subsurface liquid-water ocean beneath an icy crust. By contrast, smaller and less studied moons like Kallichore are viewed as potentially valuable because they are thought to have changed less over time.
Across the sources, the common context is that studying these darker, lesser-known moons could help astronomers learn about the solar system’s history. The outlets also align on the reasoning that moons that are more geologically or physically “unchanged” may preserve older conditions, providing a different scientific payoff than the more active Galilean satellites.
