The European Space Agency’s Juice spacecraft will return to Earth this evening and take part in a “world-first” flyby.

Flight controllers will guide the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice), carrying British-made scientific instruments, past the Moon and then the Earth.

In this risky maneuver, Juice takes a shortcut across Venus to Jupiter, using first the Moon’s gravity and then the Earth’s as a natural brake, slowing down and then catapulting himself into the next phase of his journey.

The Mission starts in April 2023 on a 4.1 billion mile journey that will take more than eight years.

There are ten scientific instruments on board to investigate whether life is possible in the oceans of Jupiter’s three moons Callisto, Europa and Ganymede.

Experts from the European Space Agency (ESA) admit that the slightest mistake could throw the spacecraft off course and mean the end of the mission.

From about 11:57 p.m. Monday until the early hours of Tuesday, there will be a double world premiere with the flyby of the moon and Earth and the double gravity assist maneuver, according to the agency.

The movement changes Juice’s speed and direction and thus its course through space.

Earth will alter Juice’s trajectory through space, redirecting it onto a course that will result in a flyby of Venus in August 2025.

From then on, the energy bursts begin, with the spacecraft being accelerated by Venus and then twice by Earth.

Some keen stargazers may be able to see Juice passing overhead as the spacecraft flies directly over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

A powerful pair of binoculars or a telescope will give you the best chance of seeing the spacecraft.

Two cameras on board Juice will take photos throughout the entire flyby between the Moon and Earth, which will be made publicly available once they arrive on Earth.

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The risky maneuvers are necessary because Jupiter is on average 800 million kilometers away from Earth.

Without a huge rocket, an impossible 60,000 kg of fuel would be needed on board to send Juice directly to the gas giant.

The UK Space Agency has invested around nine million pounds in Juice. The company has scientific instruments, including various imaging devices, systems for recording the surface of Jupiter’s moons and sensors for studying their atmospheres.

The United Kingdom was involved in the development of two of these instruments and led the construction of another – the Magnetometer (or J-MAG) – to measure magnetic fields.

Dr Caroline Harper, head of space research at the UK Space Agency, described the manoeuvre as “tricky” and requiring “incredibly precise navigation”.

She said: “This is a world first: a double flyby of the Moon and Earth has never been done before… even a tiny mistake could throw Juice off course.”

“This will save a tremendous amount of fuel, so when Juice arrives at its destination it will be able to do a lot more for science.”