The European Space Agency's JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) spacecraft executed a breathtakingly precise and completely unprecedented orbital manoeuvre this week: a lunar-Earth gravity assist.

To save fuel for its long journey to the Jovian system, JUICE first buzzed the Moon to alter its trajectory, and then, just over a day later, flew incredibly close to Earth to gain a massive gravitational slingshot. It was effectively threading a cosmic needle. The spacecraft even beamed back some stunningly crisp images of the Earth and Moon during its flyby. It is orbital dynamics at its absolute finest, paving the way for its arrival at Jupiter in 2031.