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Historic Double Flyby of the ESA JUICE Mission Near the Moon
August 20, 2024
Last night, the European Space Agency's (ESA) probe Juice performed a flyby of the Moon, and during the night from 20th to 21st August, it will conduct a flyby of Earth. This flyby marks the first-ever Moon-Earth gravity assist maneuver in the history of space exploration and is a significant step in Juice's long journey to the Jupiter system, which it is expected to reach in 2031. Ventspils University of Applied Sciences is part of the Juice team to successfully carry out the mission.
The Juice interplanetary probe was launched in April 2023 and will reach its destination in July 2031, where it will study Jupiter and its three large icy moons: Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto, over several years. The mission will explore potential habitable environments around gas giants, as well as the Jupiter system, which serves as a model for many giant planets now known to orbit other stars. Juice will be the first interplanetary probe to orbit a moon—Ganymede—in the outer Solar System.
The Juice mission is an international collaboration involving institutions from around the world, including Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) and its Engineering Institute, the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center (VIRAC). VIRAC is a partner in the Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE), a ground-based astronomical experiment. VUAS is also part of the scientific team for the Radio & Plasma Wave Investigation (RPWI), one of the ten scientific instruments on the Juice probe. Participation in Juice significantly strengthens VUAS’ role in international space research.
VIRAC's involvement in the PRIDE instrument began this year and was made possible thanks to the center's high expertise in radio astronomy and deep space communications. PRIDE uses Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) techniques, with the VSRC managing the Irbene radio telescopes, which are part of the international VLBI network. PRIDE provides precise measurements of Juice's spacecraft position and velocity—data essential for understanding the dynamics of Jupiter's icy moons and its complex environment.
During the gravity assist maneuver, Juice utilizes both the Moon's and Earth's gravitational fields to alter the probe's speed. Gravity assists allow for significant fuel savings when reaching distant locations in the solar system. Juice's closest approach to the Moon is at a distance of 700 km on August 20 at 00:16 Latvian time, followed by a flyby of Earth at a distance of 6,807 km on August 21 at 00:57 Latvian time. The next gravity assists are planned for 2025 (Venus), 2026 (Earth), and 2029 (Earth).
More information
Juice mission: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice
PRIDE experiment: https://www.jive.eu/jive-projects/esa-juice-pride
Contact person for Juice and PRIDE instrument at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences: Vladislavs Bezrukovs vladislavs.bezrukovs@venta.lv
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From March 21 to March 23, Ventspils University was the venue for the European University Alliance Colours hackathon "Combat Robotics" and the Ventspils Robotics Championship – one of the stages of the Latvian Championship. The event brought together technology and robotics enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia and Egypt.
On Wednesday, May 28, everyone is invited to the Kurzeme Business Forum “Artificial Intelligence – The 4th Industrial Revolution”, which will take place at the Latvija concert hall. The forum will bring together entrepreneurs, municipal representatives, university staff and students, as well as technology experts to discuss the significance of education and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business. The first part of the forum will focus on the role of higher education in the AI era. The development of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences will be examined in this context, addressing key questions: How will the education system adapt to new requirements? Which professions will remain relevant, and which will change? The discussion will also explore the synergy between AI and cybersecurity in academic studies. The second part of the forum will address the question—do businesses need AI? The legal framework and state support mechanisms for such innovations will be introduced. Entrepreneurs will share their experiences, and participants will gain insights into common myths and the real situation regarding AI in Latvia’s economy. The discussion will conclude with an exploration of the opportunities for port development in the AI era. Participants will have the chance to engage in valuable discussions and networking sessions. Although the forum will be held in Latvian, the company SIA Tilde will provide real-time translation into any language using AI technology. Register for the forum now: https://www.kurzemesbiznesaforums.lv/ The forum is organized by Ventspils University of Applied Sciences within the European University Alliance COLOURS, in collaboration with the Ventspils State City Municipality, the Freeport of Ventspils Authority, and the Green and Smart Technology Cluster.
From March 21 to March 23, Ventspils University was the venue for the European University Alliance Colours hackathon "Combat Robotics" and the Ventspils Robotics Championship – one of the stages of the Latvian Championship. The event brought together technology and robotics enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia and Egypt. On Friday, March 21, 13 teams from various regions of Latvia, as well as partner universities in Croatia and Spain, began a three-day hackathon. During the event, teams were tasked with designing and building a combat robot to compete in a specially designed arena. After several intense battles, the grand prize of €1,500 was claimed by a team from Riga, Latvia with their combat robot "The Shredinator." Second place went to VUAS students with their robot "Bob," earning a €600 cash prize. Meanwhile, third place and a €400 prize were awarded to a team from Latgale with their robot "Zeimuļs vs PRK." The Ventspils City Special Award went to the team "Labākais tiiims ever" for their exceptionally creative combat robot design. Hackathon winner Patriks Ezerins shares: “I think this is a really cool way for people to come together – engineers, future engineers, and robotics enthusiasts – to build something amazing within a set time limit and then battle it out for victory. It’s a unique opportunity! I definitely recommend giving it a try, especially with the kits we provide. Even someone with zero coding knowledge can come, take a basic chassis (which is a pre-assigned part), print it, install the motors and controller, and start driving. That’s it – you’re ready to fight! I encourage everyone to participate, because the more participants we have in the future, the more hackathons like this will continue!” On Saturday, robotics and technology enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania and Croatia gathered at VUAS to participate in the Ventspils Robotics Championship. Throughout the championship, more than 50 robots competed in nine different disciplines, like Folkrace, Antweight, Mini Sumo, Line following and iRobot Sumo, and showcasing the participants' outstanding skills and innovative solutions. Team from Croatia placed 2 nd in Mini Sumo PRO category. The Ventspils City Special Award in the Robotics Championship was not given to an individual but to a team from Sigulda in recognition of their enthusiasm and extensive participation, demonstrating their contribution to the development of robotics. Photos: Day 1: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-1-diena-21-03-2025/ Day 2: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-2-diena-22-03-2025/ Day 3: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-3-diena-23-03-2025/
On March 7 at 16:00, the opening of the Ventspils University of Applied Sciences Student Entrepreneurship Center will take place at the Moomentum coworking space. The center is being established within the framework of the European university alliance COLOURS and will serve as an innovation and entrepreneurship support hub for students. The primary goal of the Student Entrepreneurship Center is to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among alliance students, helping them create and develop business ideas. The center provides a supportive environment where students can collaborate with partners to design new products and services that address modern challenges. On March 8, a practical workshop is planned, during which students themselves will define their needs and the type of support they would like to receive when starting a business, as well as identify what has been lacking so far. The head of the Student Entrepreneurship Center, Gvido Grīnbergs, states: "In my opinion, this center will be an excellent collaboration point between the Ventspils Business Support Center, the LIAA Ventspils branch, the Moomentum coworking space, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences students, and society as a whole." The COLOURS alliance brings together nine international universities, uniting approximately 126,000 students, 12,300 staff members, and 54 associated partners. COLOURS offers students opportunities to participate in hackathons both in Latvia and abroad, develop mobility networks, take advantage of extensive internship opportunities, acquire micro-qualification courses for personal development, attend summer schools, and represent their university in international student forums. Additionally, the alliance aims to promote joint educational programs in research and innovation by collaborating with local businesses, thereby enhancing student, young researcher, lecturer, and administrative staff mobility among partner universities. At the same time, innovative interdisciplinary projects will strengthen international research collaboration and support both local and international entrepreneurs by sharing knowledge and technologies.
As part of the European University Alliance “COLOURS”, the students of the Alliance universities are offered a great opportunity to participate in a rapid and collaborative engineering hackathon – the International Ventspils Combat Robotics Hackathon “Combat Robotics”, March 21- 23, 2025 . If any international hackathon participants wish, there is a unique opportunity to participate in an additional activity – the Latvian Robotics Championship 2025, which will also take place in Ventspils, on March 22. , welcoming robotics enthusiasts and curious spectators. Students can participate in this championship with existing robots that they bring with them. Dream it! Make it! Test it! Share it! Problem/ challenge to be solved in the hackathon: Make a robot for the relevant section that proves to be the best combo of performance, innovation, design and technical solutions during the hackathon. Background to the Hackathon problem/ challenge: The CoLab event “Higher education and workforce in the Region” a very topical trend emerged from the business community and stakeholders who participated in the event – that regions need not just engineers, but engineers with creativity and initiative. Research and Development departments need innovative ideas and technological solutions to make the production process more efficient and innovative through the use of robotic technologies. Hackathon Objective: to allow students to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in their studies in practical projects, to promote engineering and robotics technology development, and to encourage student collaboration within the COLOURS Alliance. Skills which will be improved: design and critical thinking, prototyping, testing, problem-solving, engineering skills, team management and communication skills. The theme of the hackathon matches the area of regional specialization: Advanced industries, manufacturing and smart technologies, electro-mechanical industry, mechatronics and automotive, and Industry 4.0. Over three exciting days, teams will: Develop their combat robots; Present their robots to a jury; Compete in a specially designed arena with eligible robots. Based on the “COLOURS” agreement, the prize fund for the Hackathon is up to 2500 EUR. It’s possible to receive valuable prizes from event sponsors. Registration for the hackathon: Open until March 18, 2025 , by filling out the application form: https://forms.gle/kDraaQ157YyMdA619 The construction will take place on-site with the given materials. To successfully implement the project, you must definitely have some basic technical skills, i.e., electrical connections will be given, you must know simple soldering, the design and implementation of the case requires the ability to draw 2D or 3D simple objects for printing, laser cutting. We will try to help within our abilities, but that is why there are 3-4 people in the team (preferably with different skills) in order to successfully implement the intended project, design.
On March 3 this year, the Engineering Research Institute “Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre” (VIRAC) of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) launched a research project titled "Revealing the physical mechanism of mass ejection around young massive stars via CH3OH masers" (Project No. 1.1.1.9/LZP/1/24/044). The project aims to significantly contribute to the professional development of VSRC postdoctoral researcher Art Aberfeld by enhancing his skills, establishing new academic connections, and conducting world-class fundamental research in astrophysics. The research involves working with big data and applying advanced numerical models. The project partner is the Astronomical Observatory of Cagliari (OAC) , part of the National Institute for Astrophysics of Italy (INAF) . As part of the initiative, Art Aberfeld will participate in several extended research visits to the partner institution, acquiring new expertise. This will facilitate knowledge transfer from Italy to Latvia, bringing unprecedented competencies to the country, including: Observing and processing radio signals at high frequencies (20–116 GHz), Integrating and interpreting multi-frequency observations, Developing the skills necessary for working with next-generation large-scale radio astronomy instruments. The project will have a positive impact on the RIS3 (Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization) objectives by strengthening the information technology sector and significantly increasing the scientific capacity of the VIRAC . The scientific goal of the project is to address a fundamental question in massive star formation: how excess angular momentum is transferred from the protostellar disk to outflowing gas and jets, enabling the protostar to grow in mass. Project Details Total cost: EUR 192,336.00 ERDF funding: EUR 163,485.6 Planned outputs: Three high-impact scientific publications and presentations at six international scientific conferences. The research application "Revealing the physical mechanism of mass ejection around young massive stars via CH3OH masers" (No. 1.1.1.9/LZP/1/24/044) is implemented within the framework of project No. 1.1.1.9/1/24/I/001 and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This initiative is part of the European Union Cohesion Policy Programme for 2021–2027 under the specific aid objective 1.1.1 “Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies”, Activity 1.1.1.9 “Postdoctoral research”. Link to Project: https://en.venta.lv/science/projects/Revealing-the-Physical-Mechanism-of-Mass-Ejection-Around-Young-Massive-Stars
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