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Moon-magnetosphere interactions result from the encounter between a magnetospheric plasma flow and moons, which act as obstacles to the plasma flow. In the Jovian magnetosphere, the Galilean moons orbit with a Keplerian velocity much slower than the plasma velocity, driven in near corotation by the planetary magnetic field. Therefore, they disturb the magnetospheric plasma flow, which in turn generates Alfvén waves in their close environments. These waves propagate along the magnetic field lines, accelerating particles and triggering auroral emissions in the giant planet atmosphere.Since August 2016, the Juno mission has made it possible to characterize in-situ the moon-magnetosphere interactions. Several crossings of the flux tubes connected to the orbits of the Galilean moons have been reported, revealing a diversity of particle properties and acceleration processes. However, Europa-magnetosphere interaction, whose remote and in-situ signatures are weaker and more difficult to identify than those of Io, remain poorly known.We characterize the precipitating electrons accelerated in the Europa-magnetosphere interaction by analyzing in-situ measurements and remote sensing observations recorded during 10 crossings of the flux tubes connected to Europa's auroral footprint tail by Juno. The electron downward energy flux exhibits an exponential decay as a function of down-tail distance from Europa's main auroral spot, with an e-folding factor of 7.2°. Electrons are accelerated at energies between 0.3 and 25 keV, with a characteristic energy that decreases down‐tail. We show that in the near tail (∆λFrac < 6°), acceleration is due, at least in part, to electrostatic processes while in the far tail (∆λFrac > 6°) broadband energy spectra are evidence for Alfvénic acceleration. The size of the interaction region at the equator is estimated to be 4.5 Europa radii, consistent with previous estimates based on theory and UV observations.

Jupiter's main auroral emission is believed to be governed by a magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling current system resulting from the radial outflow of the iogenic plasma. To better understand, here we delineate this current system from the viewpoint of the magnetodisc, using Juno data obtained in the night-to-dawn magnetosphere during 2016-2020. We first derive a spatial distribution of the height-integrated radial (Ir) and azimuthal (Ia) currents in the magnetodisc. Then, we calculate the divergence of the two current components, which, according to current continuity, gives the field-aligned current (FAC) connecting the magnetodisc and the ionosphere. The Ir-associated FAC, Jr, flows into and out of the magnetodisc at small and large radial distances, respectively, approximately consistent with the axisymmetric corotation enforcement model. On the other hand, Ia decreases with increasing local time in the local time extent covered, indicating an additional FAC (Ja) flowing out of the magnetodisc. From Ia and Ja, we conclude that the influence of the solar wind, which compresses the dayside magnetosphere and thus breaks the axisymmetry, reaches deep to a radial distance of at least 20 Jupiter radii. Further efforts in modeling Jupiter's magnetosphere should take this factor into account.

Earth’s ecosystems and human activities are threatened by a broad spectrum of hazards of major importance for the safety of ground infrastructures, space systems and space flight: solar activity, earthquakes, atmospheric and climatic disturbances, changes in the geomagnetic field, fluctuations of the global electric circuit. Monitoring and understanding these major hazards to better predict and mitigate their effects is one of the greatest scientific and operational challenges of the 21st century. Though diverse, these hazards share one feature in common: they all leave their characteristic imprints on a critical layer of the Earth’s environment: its ionosphere, middle and upper atmosphere (IMUA). The objective of the International Meridian Circle Program (IMCP), a major international program led by the Chines Academy of Sciences (CAS), is to deploy, integrate and operate a global network of research and monitoring instruments to use the IMUA as a screen on which to detect these imprints. In this article, we first show that the geometry required for the IMCP global observation system leads to a deployment of instruments in priority along the 120°E–60°W great meridian circle, which will cover in an optimal way both the dominant geographic and geomagnetic latitude variations, possibly complemented by a second Great Circle along the 30°E–150°W meridians to capture longitude variations. Then, starting from the Chinese Meridian Project (CMP) network and using it as a template, we give a preliminary and promising description of the instruments to be integrated and deployed along the 120°E–60° W great circle running across China, Australia and the Americas.

The dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere is controlled by the complex interplay of the planet’s fast rotation, its solar-wind interaction and its main plasma source at the Io torus, mediated by coupling processes involving its thermosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere, referred to as “MIT coupling processes”. At the ionospheric level, these processes can be characterized by a set of key parameters which include ionospheric conductances, currents and electric fields, transport of charged particles along field lines which carry electric currents connecting the ionosphere and magnetosphere, and among them fluxes of electrons precipitating into the upper atmosphere which trigger auroral emissions. Determination of these key parameters in turn makes it possible to estimate the net deposition/extraction of momentum and energy into/out of the Jovian upper atmosphere. A method based on a combined use of Juno multi-instrument data (MAG, JADE, JEDI, UVS, JIRAM and WAVES) and three modelling tools was first developed by Wang et al. (2021) and applied to an analysis of the first nine Juno orbits to retrieve these key parameters along the Juno magnetic footprint. In this communication we will extend this method to the first thirty Juno science orbits and to both north and south main auroral ovals crossings. Our results make it possible to characterize how the local systems of field-aligned electric currents, height-integrated ionospheric conductances, electric currents and fields, and Joule and particle heating rates vary across the main ovals between their poleward and equatorward edges. They suggest that southern current systems display a trend consistent with the generation of a region of sub-corotating ionospheric plasma poleward of the main aurora, while this dominant trend is not found around the northern main auroral oval.

The dynamics of giant planets magnetosphere is controlled by a complex interplay between these planets fast rotation, their solar-wind interaction, and possible moon plasma and momentum sources. At the ionospheric level, two key parameters controlling the degree of coupling of magnetospheric motions to planetary rotation are the Pedersen and Hall ionospheric conductances, which regulate the intensity of currents coupling magnetosphere and ionosphere and the rate of transfer of angular momentum and power between them. In this talk we will present a parametric study of the dependence of Pedersen and Hall conductances on the structure and composition of these planets upper atmospheres and on the characteristics of auroral and polar particle precipitation, using generic thermospheric and ionospheric models and ground-truth validation by Juno, Cassini and Voyager data. We will discuss the implications on the degree of importance that the thermosphere-ionosphere has in the enforcement of corotation of the magnetospheric plasma.

International audience; The response of the magnetosphere-ionosphere (MI) system at Jupiter to the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) tangential discontinuity is studied via global Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations. Our results show that the IMF discontinuity, which has a transition front perpendicular to the Sun-Jupiter line, has strong effects on the Jovian MI system depending on local times and radial distances to Jupiter. The magnetospheric significant response to the discontinuity is delayed by ∼2-6 hr after the encounter of the discontinuity front with the bow shock, while the delay time for the ionospheric field-aligned currents (FACs) is ∼3-8 hr. The outer magnetosphere, particularly at dayside, tends to respond slightly quicker than the inner regions. At the ionosphere, the response of downward FACs is found to occur earlier than that of the upward ones by a time ranging from less than 1 hr to several hours, which is also more prominent at dayside sectors. Using a new MI mapping method with Jupiter's JRM09 magnetic field model, we reproduce for the first time the ionospheric FACs consistent with the morphology of the observed ultraviolet (UV) main auroral emissions. This indicates a potential application of the simulated upward FACs on the morphology of the UV main auroral ovals.

Introduction The exploration of Callisto is part of the extensive interest in the icy moons characterization. As other missions will focus on Ganymede and Europa, mission proposals devoted to the exploration and characterization of Callisto are currently emerging [2][6]. Compared to the other Galilean moons, the outermost moon has kept the best-preserved records of the Jovian system formation, which makes it a candidate of choice to understand how the Jupiter system formed, and how it works. Led by the National Space Science Center (NSSC), Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), the Gan De mission [2] aims to send an orbiter around Callisto in order to map its gravity and magnetic field, and to characterize its exosphere, surface and interior. Callisto’s degree of differentiation will also be investigated as well as the possible existence of an internal ocean, as Galileo measurements suggested. Because the mission is at a very early planning stage, there is no definitive mission plan yet. In this context, we selected a small representative set of potential science orbits around Callisto. These orbits are tested under different assumptions in a detailed simulation environment, to analyse the orbit recovery as well as the recovery of Callisto gravity field and k2 Love number using tracking data. The effect of non-gravitational forces exerting on the orbiter is carefully considered, especially the strategy to handle them through the whole estimation process. Exploring different orbits Flybys of Callisto from the JUICE and the Europa Clipper missions will already provide further information on this moon [4]. However, the global mapping of the outermost Galilean moon will be uniquely improved by means of an orbiter at a high inclination and a low altitude. A specific difficulty in the orbit design in the Jovian system is related to the orbit stability, which is highly impacted by the influence of Jupiter as a third body exerting strong perturbations on a Callisto orbiter. Additionally, the occultations of the Sun by Callisto should be minimized to ensure a maximum solar illumination for power, which is critical this far from the Sun. This implies a minimum angle between the orbital plane w.r.t the direction of the Sun (βSun), which is larger the lower the orbit is. Depending on the position of the Earth at that time, this might have a direct impact on the angle between the orbital plane w.r.t the direction of the Earth (βEarth), which is of importance for orbit determination and gravity field recovery using Doppler tracking data. In this presentation, we selected various low Callisto orbits, which are suitable as science orbits for Gan De. These orbits have different altitudes, Earth beta angles, and injection date into orbit. Although several of them can be used sequentially, they are considered separately. A detailed force model The set of different reference orbits is propagated using the planetary extension of the Bernese Software (BSW) [3]. All the planets of the solar system, as well as the Galilean satellites, are considered as point masses. In the case of Jupiter, the zonal harmonics of the gravity field are also part of the force model. Because our knowledge of Callisto’s gravity field is restricted to the results of the Galileo mission (degree 2) [1], we have derived a synthetic gravity field as ground truth for our simulation. The scaled gravity field of the Earth’s Moon is used from degree 3 to 100. An artificial value of k2 Love number is also adopted to provide a ground truth. In order to rely on solar power this far from the Sun, the size of the solar panels is significant, which makes the effect of the solar and planetary radiation pressure on them essential to account for. However, the modelling of these forces can be challenging, particularly because of their dependency on the geometry and the optical properties of the probe. Even with a precise macro model, the optical properties of each plate can evolve with time. Several strategies are tested to handle these non-conservative forces, such as the use of pseudo-stochastics parameters and the possibility of an on-board accelerometer. Orbit determination and gravity field recovery Using a detailed noise model [5] and a realistic tracking station schedule, realistic Doppler tracking data (2-way Ka-band Doppler range rate) is simulated as measurements from the Deep Space Network. The non-gravitational accelerations in action during the orbit propagation are used to generate realistic accelerometer measurements. These observations are then used to reconstruct the orbit along with dynamical parameters in a global least-squares adjustment. Within this closed-loop simulation, we investigate the impact of the non-gravitational accelerations and orbit geometry on the orbit determination and the recovery of the geodetic parameters. The focus of this presentation is on the quality of the retrieved gravity field parameters and tidal Love number k2. Acknowledgements This study has been funded with the support of the Swiss National Foundation (SNF). References [1] Anderson, J. D., et al. "Shape, mean radius, gravity field, and interior structure of Callisto." Icarus 153.1 (2001): 157-161. [2] Blanc, Michel, et al. "Gan De: Science Objectives and Mission Scenarios for China's Mission to the Jupiter System." EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts. 2020. [3] Dach, R. et al. "Bernese GNSS software version 5.2." (2015). [4] Di Benedetto, Mauro, et al. "Analysis of 3GM Callisto Gravity Experiment of the JUICE Mission." arXiv preprint arXiv:2101.03401 (2021). [5] Iess, Luciano, et al. "Astra: Interdisciplinary study on enhancement of the end-to-end accuracy for spacecraft tracking techniques." Acta Astronautica 94.2 (2014): 699-707. [6] Smith, David E., et al. "MAGIC, A Discovery Proposal to the Icy Moon Callisto." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. Vol. 2019. 2019.

Remote sensing observations suffer significant limitations when used to study the bulk atmospheric composition of the giant planets of our solar system. This impacts our knowledge of the formation of these planets and the physics of their atmospheres. A remarkable example of the superiority of in situ probe measurements was illustrated by the exploration of Jupiter, where key measurements such as the determination of the noble gases' abundances and the precise measurement of the helium mixing ratio were only made available through in situ measurements by the Galileo probe. Here we describe the main scientific goals to be addressed by the future in situ exploration of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, placing the Galileo probe exploration of Jupiter in a broader context. An atmospheric entry probe targeting the 10-bar level would yield insight into two broad themes: i) the formation history of the giant planets and that of the Solar System, and ii) the processes at play in planetary atmospheres. The probe would descend under parachute to measure composition, structure, and dynamics, with data returned to Earth using a Carrier Relay Spacecraft as a relay station. An atmospheric probe could represent a significant ESA contribution to a future NASA New Frontiers or flagship mission to be launched toward Saturn, Uranus, and/or Neptune., 27 pages, 9 figures, White Paper submitted in response to ESA's Call for Voyage 2050 Science Themes. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1708.00235

The dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere is controlled by the complex interplay of the planet’s fast rotation, its solar-wind interaction and its main plasma source at the Io torus. At the ionospheric level, these MIT coupling processes can be characterized by a set of key parameters which include ionospheric conductances, currents and electric fields, exchanges of particles along field lines and auroral emissions. Knowledge of these key parameters in turn makes it possible to estimate the net deposition/extraction of momentum and energy into/out of the Jovian upper atmosphere. In this talk we will extend to the first thirty Juno science orbits the method described in Wang et al. (JGR 2021, under review) which combines Juno multi-instrument data (MAG, JADE, JEDI, UVS, JIRAM and WAVES), adequate modelling tools and data bases to retrieve these key parameters along the Juno magnetic footprint and across the north and south auroral ovals. We will present preliminary distributions of conductances, electric currents and electric fields obtained from these orbits and will compare them with model predictions.

The dynamics of the Kronian magnetosphere is controlled by the complex interplay of the planet’s fast rotation, its solar-wind interaction and its main plasma sources at Enceladus and other moons. At the ionospheric level, these MIT coupling processes can be characterized by a set of key parameters which include ionospheric conductances, currents and electric fields, exchanges of particles along field lines and auroral emissions. Knowledge of these key parameters in turn makes it possible to estimate the net deposition/extraction of momentum and energy into/out of the Kronian upper atmosphere. In this talk we will apply to Cassini high-inclination, F-ring and Grand Finale orbits the method developed and tested by Wang et al. (JGR 2021, under review) for Juno studies. We will combine Cassini multi-instrument data (MAG, CAPS, MIMI, UVIS and RPWS) with adequate modelling tools and data bases to retrieve these key parameters along the Cassini magnetic footprint and across the north and south auroral ovals. We will present preliminary distributions of conductances, electric currents and electric fields obtained from these orbits and will compare them with model predictions.

Jupiter's magnetosphere contains a current sheet of huge size near its equator. The current sheet not only mediates the global mass and energy cycles of Jupiter's magnetosphere, but also provides an occurring place for many localized dynamic processes, such as reconnection and wave-particle interaction. To correctly evaluate its role in these processes, a statistical description of the current sheet is required. To this end, here we conduct statistics on Jupiter's current sheet, with four-year Juno data recorded in the 20-100 Jupiter radii, post-midnight magnetosphere. The results suggest a thin current sheet whose thickness is comparable with the gyro-radius of dominant ions. Magnetic fields in the current sheet decrease in power-law with increasing radial distances. At fixed energy, the flux of electrons and protons increases with decreasing radial distances. On the other hand, at fixed radial distances, the flux decreases in power-law with increasing energy. The flux also varies with the distances to the current sheet center. The corresponding relationship can be well described by Gaussian functions peaking at the current sheet center. In addition, the statistics show the flux of oxygen- and sulfur-group ions is comparable with the flux of protons at the same energy and radial distances, indicating the non-negligible effects of heavy ions on current sheet dynamics. From these results, a statistical model of Jupiter's current sheet is constructed, which provides us with a start point of understanding the dynamics of the whole Jupiter's magnetosphere.

International audience

International audience; In this White Paper (part I) we present an analysis of our current knowledge of Ice Giant systems in the light of six key science questions about planetary systems formulated in the ``Planetary Exploration, Horizon 2061'' long-term foresight exercise. We formulate measurement requirements and favored destinations for each of these science questions.

International audience; Starting from the six key science objectives for the exploration of planetary systems presented in part I of this White Paper, and from the corresponding measurement requirements for the future exploration of Ice Giants systems, we build a notional road map for a set of missions to these systems that will address most of these science objectives.

International audience; Planetary rings are a multifaceted player in the system. Recent advances about Saturn’s rings argue that ring science at the ice giants, with magnetospheric and atmospheric sciences, are essential in advancing our knowledge about solar system evolution, the evolution of the moons and Ocean Worlds, and phenomena observed in the ice giant systems.

The exploration of Callisto is part of the extensive interest in the icy moons characterization. Indeed, Callisto is the Galilean moon with the best-preserved records of the Jovian system formation. Led by the National Space Science Center (NSSC), Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), the planned Gan De mission aims to send an orbiter around Callisto in order to characterize its surface and interior. Potential orbit configurations are currently under study for the Gan De mission proposal.As part of a global characterization of Callisto, its gravity field can be inferred using radio tracking data from an orbiter. Mission characteristics such as orbit type, Earth beta angle and solar elongation will have a direct influence on the recoverability of its gravity field parameters. In this study, we will analyse this influence from closed-loop simulations using the planetary extension of the Bernese GNSS Softwareai.A number of reference orbits with different orbital characteristics will be selected for the Gan De mission and, using an extended force model, will be propagated from different starting dates and different initial Earth beta angles. Realistic Doppler tracking data (2-way X-band Doppler range rate) will be simulated as measurements from ground stations, with a dedicated noise model. These observations will then be used to reconstruct the orbit along with dynamical parameters. The focus of this presentation will be on the quality of the retrieved gravity field parameters and tidal Love number k2.

The comparative study of planetary systems is a unique source of new scientific insight: following the six “key science questions” of the “Planetary Exploration, Horizon 2061” long-term foresight exercise, it can reveal to us the diversity of their objects (Question 1) and of their architectures (Question 2), help us better understand their origins (Question 3) and how they work (Question 4), find and characterize habitable worlds (Question 5), and ultimately, search for alien life (Question 6). But a huge “knowledge gap” exists which limits the applicability of this approach in the solar system itself: two of its secondary planetary systems, the ice giant systems of Uranus and Neptune, remain poorly explored. Starting from an analysis of our current limited knowledge of solar system ice giants and their systems in the light of these six key science questions, we show that a long-term plan for the space exploration of ice giants and their systems will greatly contribute to answer these questions. To do so, we identify the key measurements needed to address each of these questions, the destinations to choose (Uranus, Neptune, Triton or a subset of them), the combinations of space platform(s) and the types of flight sequences needed. We then examine the different launch windows available until 2061, using a Jupiter fly-by, to send a mission to Uranus or Neptune, and find that: (1) an optimized choice of platforms and flight sequences makes it possible to address a broad range of the key science questions with one mission at one of the planets. Combining an atmospheric entry probe with an orbiter tour starting on a high-inclination, low periapse orbit, followed by a sequence of lower inclination orbits (or the other way around) appears to be an optimal choice. (2) a combination of two missions to each of the ice giant systems, to be flown in parallel or in sequence, will address five out of the six key questions and establish the prerequisites to address the sixth one: searching for life at one of the most promising Ice Giant moons. (3) The 2032 Jupiter fly-by window, which offers a unique opportunity to implement this plan, should be considered in priority; if this window cannot be met, using the 2036 Jupiter fly-by window to send a mission to Uranus first, and then the 2045 window for a mission to Neptune, will allow one to achieve the same objectives; as a back-up option, one should consider an orbiter + probe mission to one of the planets and a close fly-by of the other planet to deliver a probe into its atmosphere, using the opportunity of a future mission on its way to Kuiper Belt Objects or the interstellar medium; (4) based on the examination of the habitability of the different moons by the first two missions, a third one can be properly designed to search for life at the most promising moon, likely Triton, or one of the active moons of Uranus. Thus, by 2061 the first two missions of this plan can be implemented and a third mission focusing on the search for life can be designed. Given that such a plan may be out of reach of a single national agency, international collaboration is the most promising way to implement it.

In this chapter, we review the contribution of space missions to the determination of the elemental and isotopic composition of Earth, Moon and the terrestrial planets, with special emphasis on currently planned and future missions. We show how these missions are going to significantly contribute to, or sometimes revolutionise, our understanding of planetary evolution, from formation to the possible emergence of life. We start with the Earth, which is a unique habitable body with actual life, and that is strongly related to its atmosphere. The new wave of missions to the Moon is then reviewed, which are going to study its formation history, the structure and dynamics of its tenuous exosphere and the interaction of the Moon’s surface and exosphere with the different sources of plasma and radiation of its environment, including the solar wind and the escaping Earth’s upper atmosphere. Missions to study the noble gas atmospheres of the terrestrial planets, Venus and Mars, are then examined. These missions are expected to trace the evolutionary paths of these two noble gas atmospheres, with a special emphasis on understanding the effect of atmospheric escape on the fate of water. Future missions to these planets will be key to help us establishing a comparative view of the evolution of climates and habitability at Earth, Venus and Mars, one of the most important and challenging open questions of planetary science. Finally, as the detection and characterisation of exoplanets is currently revolutionising the scope of planetary science, we review the missions aiming to characterise the internal structure and the atmospheres of these exoplanets.

Ionospheric conductance is important in controlling the electrical coupling between the Jovian planetary magnetosphere and its ionosphere. To some extent, it regulates the characteristics of the ionospheric current from above and the closure of the magnetosphere-ionosphere circuit in the ionosphere (Cowley&Bunce, 2001). Multi-spectral images collected with the UltraViolet Spectrograph (UVS) (Gladstone et al., 2017) on board Juno (Bagenal et al.,2017) have been analyzed to derive the spatial distribution of the auroral precipitation reaching the atmosphere (Bonfond et al., 2017). Electron energy flux and their characteristic energy have been used as inputs to an ionospheric model providing the production and loss rates of the main ion species, H3+, hydrocarbon ions and electrons (Gérard et al., 2020). Their steady state densities are calculated and used to determine the local distribution of the Pedersen electrical conductivity and its altitude integrated value for each UVS pixel. These values are displayed as H3+ density and Pedersen conductivity maps. We find that the main contribution to the Pedersen conductance corresponds to collisions of H3+ and hydrocarbon ions with H2.Analysis of the Birkeland current intensities based on the Juno magnetometers measurements (Kotsiaros et al. 2019) indicated that the observed current intensities are statistically larger in the south. They suggested that these differences are possibly due to a higher Pedersen conductance in this hemisphere. In order to verify this hypothesis, we calculate the conductance and H3+ density maps for perijoves 1 to 15 based on Juno-UVS spectral images. We compare the spatially integrated auroral conductance values of the two hemispheres for each orbit. The objective is to identify possible hemispheric asymmetries. REFERENCESBagenal, F., et al. (2017). Magnetospheric science objectives of the Juno mission. Space Science Reviews, 213(1-4), 219-287.Bonfond, B., et al. (2017). Morphology of the UV aurorae Jupiter during Juno's first perijove observations. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(10), 4463-4471.Cowley, S.W.H. & Bunce, E.J. (2001). Origin of the main auroral oval in Jupiter’s coupled magnetosphere–ionosphere system. Planet. Space Sci. 49, 1067–1088.Gérard et al., Spatial distribution of the Pedersen conductance in the Jovian aurora from Juno-UVS spectral images, J. Geophys. Res., in press.Gladstone et al. (2017). The ultraviolet spectrograph on NASA’s Juno mission. Space Science Reviews, 213(1-4), 447-473.Kotsiaros, S. et al. (2019). Birkeland currents in Jupiter’s magnetosphere observed by the polar-orbiting Juno spacecraft. Nature Astronomy, 3(10), 904-909.

We present the scientific rationale, and ensuing requirements, for the measurement of thermal ions and electrons in the solar wind (including pick-up ions), the inner and outer heliosphere, and the interstellar medium. We place these in the context of the interstellar missions being currently designed in the US and China. From these requirements, we propose an instrument concept that permits to measure both thermal ions (without composition) and electrons, alternatively, with low resources and high signal-to-noise ratio in accordance with the limited resources and large range of count rates, as expected over the course of such a mission.

The comparative study of the different planetary systems accessible to our observations is a unique source of new scientific insight: it can reveal to us the diversity of these systems and of the objects within them, help us better understand their origins and how they work, find and characterize habitable worlds, and ultimately, search for alien life in our galactic neighborhood. But, in the solar system itself, two of its secondary planetary systems, the ice giant systems, as well as their two main objects, Uranus and Neptune, remain poorly explored. We will present an analysis of our current limited knowledge of these systems in the light of six key science questions about planetary systems formulated in the “Planetary Exploration, Horizon 2061” long-term foresight exercise: (Q1) What is the diversity of planetary systems objects? (Q2) What is the diversity of their architectures? (Q3) What do we know of their origins and formation scenarios? (Q4) How do they work? (Q5) Do they host potential habitats? (Q6) Where and how to search for life? We will show that a long-term plan for the space exploration of ice giants and their systems, complemented by the combination of Earth and space-based observations, will provide major contributions to answers to these six questions. In order to do so, we identify the measurements that must be performed in priority to address each of these questions, the destinations to choose (Uranus, Neptune, Triton or a subset of them), and the combinations of space platform(s) (orbiter, atmospheric entry probe(s), lander…) and of flight sequences needed. Based on this analysis, we look at the different launch windows available until 2061, using a Jupiter fly-by, to send a mission to Uranus or Neptune and find that: (1) a single mission to one of the Ice giants, combining an atmospheric entry probe and an orbiter tour starting on a high-inclination, low-periapse orbit, followed by a sequence of lower- inclination orbits, at least at one of the planets, will make it possible to address a broad range of these key questions; (2) a combination of two well-designed missions to each of the ice giant systems, to be flown in parallel or in sequence, will make it possible to address five out of the six key questions, and to establish the prerequisites for addressing the sixth one. The 2032 Jupiter fly-by window offers a unique opportunity to achieve this goal; (3) if this window cannot be met, using the 2036 Jupiter fly-by window to send a mission to Uranus first, and then the 2045 window for a mission to Neptune, will achieve the same goals. As a back-up option, the feasibility of sending an orbiter + probe mission to one of the planets and using the opportunity of a mission on its way to the interstellar medium to execute a close fly-by of the other planet and deliver a probe into its atmosphere should be studied carefully; (4) based on the expected science return of the first two missions, a third mission focusing on the search for life at a promising moon, namely Triton based on our current knowledge, or perhaps one of the active moons of Uranus after due characterization, can be properly designed. By the 2061 horizon, the first two missions of this plan can be implemented and the design of a third mission focusing on the search for life can be consolidated. Given the likelihood that such a plan may be out of reach of a single national agency, international collaboration is the most promising way to implement it.

Full list of authors: Blanc, Michel; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; André, Nicolas; Gomez-Elvira, Javier; Jones, Geraint; Sterken, Veerle; Desprats, William; Gurvits, Leonid I.; Khurana, Krishan; Balmino, Georges; Blöcker, Aljona; Broquet, Renaud; Bunce, Emma; Cavel, Cyril; Choblet, Gaël; Colins, Geoffrey; Coradini, Marcello; Cooper, John; Dirkx, Dominic; Fontaine, Dominique; Garnier, Philippe; Gaudin, David; Hartogh, Paul; Hussmann, Hauke; Genova, Antonio; Iess, Luciano; Jäggi, Adrian; Kempf, Sascha; Krupp, Norbert; Lara, Luisa; Lasue, Jérémie; Lainey, Valéry; Leblanc, François; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Longobardo, Andrea; Lorenz, Ralph; Martins, Philippe; Martins, Zita; Marty, Jean-Charles; Masters, Adam; Mimoun, David; Palumba, Ernesto; Parro, Victor; Regnier, Pascal; Saur, Joachim; Schutte, Adriaan; Sittler, Edward C.; Spohn, Tilman; Srama, Ralf; Stephan, Katrin; Szegő, Károly; Tosi, Federico; Vance, Steve; Wagner, Roland; Van Hoolst, Tim; Volwerk, Martin; Wahlund, Jan-Erik; Westall, Frances; Wurz, Peter, Europa is the closest and probably the most promising target to search for extant life in the Solar System, based on complementary evidence that it may fulfil the key criteria for habitability: the Galileo discovery of a sub-surface ocean; the many indications that the ice shell is active and may be partly permeable to transfer of chemical species, biomolecules and elementary forms of life; the identification of candidate thermal and chemical energy sources necessary to drive a metabolic activity near the ocean floor. In this article we are proposing that ESA collaborates with NASA to design and fly jointly an ambitious and exciting planetary mission, which we call the Joint Europa Mission (JEM), to reach two objectives: perform a full characterization of Europa's habitability with the capabilities of a Europa orbiter, and search for bio-signatures in the environment of Europa (surface, subsurface and exosphere) by the combination of an orbiter and a lander. JEM can build on the advanced understanding of this system which the missions preceding JEM will provide: Juno, JUICE and Europa Clipper, and on the Europa lander concept currently designed by NASA (Maize, report to OPAG, 2019). We propose the following overarching goals for our Joint Europa Mission (JEM): Understand Europa as a complex system responding to Jupiter system forcing, characterize the habitability of its potential biosphere, and search for life at its surface and in its sub-surface and exosphere. We address these goals by a combination of five Priority Scientific Objectives, each with focused measurement objectives providing detailed constraints on the science payloads and on the platforms used by the mission. The JEM observation strategy will combine three types of scientific measurement sequences: measurements on a high-latitude, low-altitude Europan orbit; in-situ measurements to be performed at the surface, using a soft lander; and measurements during the final descent to Europa's surface. The implementation of these three observation sequences will rest on the combination of two science platforms: a soft lander to perform all scientific measurements at the surface and sub-surface at a selected landing site, and an orbiter to perform the orbital survey and descent sequences. We describe a science payload for the lander and orbiter that will meet our science objectives. We propose an innovative distribution of roles for NASA and ESA; while NASA would provide an SLS launcher, the lander stack and most of the mission operations, ESA would provide the carrier-orbiter-relay platform and a stand-alone astrobiology module for the characterization of life at Europa's surface: the Astrobiology Wet Laboratory (AWL). Following this approach, JEM will be a major exciting joint venture to the outer Solar System of NASA and ESA, working together toward one of the most exciting scientific endeavours of the 21st century: to search for life beyond our own planet. © 2020, The authors received support from the sponsors of their home institutions during the development of their projects, particularly at the two institutes leading this effort: at IRAP, Toulouse, MB and NA acknowledge the support of CNRS, University Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and CNES. At CAB, Madrid, OPB and JGE acknowledge the support of INTA and Spanish MINECO project ESP2014-55811-C2-1-P and ESP2017-89053-C2-1-P and the AEI project MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia "Maria de Maeztu". We would also like to extend special thanks to the PASO of CNES for its precious assistance and expertise in the design of the mission scenario.

To answer key scientific questions about Planetary Systems, it is particularly fruitful to study the Jupiter System, the most complex “secondary” planetary system in the solar system, using the power of in situ exploration. Two key questions should be addressed by future missions:A-How did the Jupiter System form? Answers can be found in the most primitive objects of the system: Callisto seems to have been only partly differentiated; its bulk composition, interior and surface terrains keep records of its early eons; the 77 or so irregular satellites, wandering far out beyond the region occupied by the Galilean satellites, are unique and precious remnants of the populations of planetesimals which orbited the outer Solar System at the time of Jupiter’s formation.B-How does it work? One can address this question by studying and understanding the chain of energy transfer operating today in the Jupiter System: how is gravitational energy from Jupiter transferred to Io’s interior via tidal heat dissipation to power its volcanic activity? How does this activity in turn store energy into the Io plasma torus to drive the whole magnetosphere into motion? How does the interplay between the Io torus and the solar wind dump energy into heating of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, or release it into the tail and interplanetary space?Starting from the measurement requirements derived from these two objectives, we propose two ambitious mission scenarios, named JCO and JSO, to meet these requirements. Both use the combination of a main spacecraft and one or several specialized small platforms.JCO, the Jupiter Callisto Orbiter, first flies by and characterizes several irregular satellites during its Jovian orbital tour. It is then injected into Callisto orbit to characterize its surface and interior, investigate its degree of differentiation and search for the possible existence of an internal ocean. As an option, JCO could release a lander to Callisto’s surface to perform key measurements of chemical composition, clues to understanding the formation scenario of the Galilean moons.JSO, the Jupiter System Observer, performs several fly-bys of Io and visits several irregular satellites during its Jovian orbital tour. As an option, JSO could release one or several small satellites to perform multi-point studies of the dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere. At the end of its tour it could be injected into a halo orbit around the L1 Lagrangian point of the Sun-Jupiter system to monitor the solar wind upstream of the Jovian magnetosphere, measure Jovian seismic oscillations, and perform a comprehensive survey of the irregular satellites.Led by China under the name of GAN De, the first astronomer to have claimed an observation of a moon of Jupiter four centuries BC, and broadly open to international collaboration, a mission flying to Jupiter in the 2030’s according to either one of these scenarios will be able to capitalize on the legacy of previous missions to Jupiter (Juno, JUICE, Europa Clipper) and to trigger a very exciting international collaboration to unravel the mysteries of the origins and workings of the Jupiter system.

Among exoplanets, the small-size population constitutes the dominant one, with a diversity of properties and compositions ranging from rocky to gas dominated envelope. While a large fraction of them have masses and radii similar to or smaller than Neptune, yet none share common properties in term of orbital period and insulation with our ice giants. These exoplanets belong to multi-planet systems where planets are closely packed within the first tenth of AU and often exposed to strong irradiation from their host star. Their formation process, subsequent evolution, and fate are still debated and trigger new developments of planet formation models. This paper reviews the characteristics and properties of this extended sample of planets with radii between $\sim$ 1.6 and 4.0$_\oplus$. Even though we still lack real Neptune/Uranus analogues, these exoplanets provide us with key observational constraints that allow the formation of our ice giants to be placed in a more general framework than the sole example of our solar system., Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures

International audience; Ionospheric conductivity perpendicular to the magnetic field plays a crucial role in the electrical coupling between planetary magnetospheres and ionospheres. At Jupiter, it controls the flow of ionospheric current from above and the closure of the magnetosphere-ionosphere circuit in the ionosphere. We use multispectral images collected with the Ultraviolet Spectral (UVS) imager on board Juno to estimate the two-dimensional distribution of the electron energy flux and characteristic energy. These values are fed to an ionospheric model describing the generation and loss of different ion species, to calculate the auroral Pedersen conductivity. The vertical distributions of H3+, hydrocarbon ions, and electrons are calculated at steady state for each UVS pixel to characterize the spatial distribution of electrical conductance in the auroral region. We find that the main contribution to the Pedersen conductance stems from collisions of H3+and heavier ions with H2. However, hydrocarbon ions contribute as much as 50% to Σp when the auroral electrons penetrate below the homopause. The largest values are usually associated with the bright main emission, the Io auroral footprint and occasional bright emissions at high latitude. We present examples of maps for both hemispheres based on Juno-UVS images, with Pedersen conductance ranging from less than 0.1 to a few mhos.

The review papers of this Topical Collection of Space Science Reviews devoted to the delivery of water to proto-planets, planets and satellites provide a coherent and comprehensive portrait of the knowledge in this fascinating field. We provide here a key of lecture of the volume, by summarizing the content of each review and proposing a logical order of reading, then attempting a broad summary of the state of the art as it emerges from the reviews altogether.

This paper is an introduction to volume 56 of the Space Science Series of ISSI, “From disks to planets—the making of planets and their proto-atmospheres”, a key subject in our quest for the origins and evolutionary paths of planets, and for the causes of their diversity. Indeed, as exoplanet discoveries progressively accumulated and their characterization made spectacular progress, it became evident that the diversity of observed exoplanets can in no way be reduced to the two classes of planets that we are used to identify in the solar system, namely terrestrial planets and gas or ice giants: the exoplanet reality is just much broader. This fact is no doubt the result of the exceptional diversity of the evolutionary paths linking planetary systems as a whole as well as individual exoplanets and their proto-atmospheres to their parent circumstellar disks: this diversity and its causes are exactly what this paper explores. For each of the main phases of the formation and evolution of planetary systems and of individual planets, we summarize what we believe we understand and what are the important open questions needing further in-depth examination, and offer some suggestions on ways towards solutions. We start with the formation mechanisms of circumstellar disks, with their gas and disk components in which chemical composition plays a very important role in planet formation. We summarize how dust accretion within the disk generates planet cores, while gas accretion on these cores can lead to the diversity of their fluid envelopes. The temporal evolution of the parent disk itself, and its final dissipation, put strong constraints on how and how far planetary formation can proceed. The radiation output of the central star also plays an important role in this whole story. This early phase of planet evolution, from disk formation to dissipation, is characterized by a co-evolution of the disk and its daughter planets. During this co-evolution, planets and their protoatmospheres not only grow, but they also migrate radially as a result of their interaction with the disk, thus moving progressively from their distance of formation to their final location. The formation of planetary fluid envelopes (proto-atmospheres and oceans), is an essential product of this planet formation scenario which strongly constrains their possible evolution towards habitability. We discuss the effects of the initial conditions in the disk, of the location, size and mass of the planetary core, of the disk lifetime and of the radiation output and activity of the central star, on the formation of these envelopes and on their relative extensions with respect to the planet core. Overall, a fraction of the planets retain the primary proto-atmosphere they initially accreted from the gas disk. For those which lose it in this early evolution, outgassing of volatiles from the planetary core and mantle, together with some contributions of volatiles from colliding bodies, give them a chance to form a “secondary” atmosphere, like that of our own Earth. When the disk finally dissipates, usually before 10 Million years of age, it leaves us with the combination of a planetary system and a debris disk, each with a specific radial distribution with respect to their parent star(s). Whereas the dynamics of protoplanetary disks is dominated by gas-solid dynamical coupling, debris disks are dominated by gravitational dynamics acting on diverse families of planetesimals. Solid-body collisions between them and giant impacts on young planetary surfaces generate a new population of gas and dust in those disks. Synergies between solar system and exoplanet studies are particularly fruitful and need to be stimulated even more, because they give access to different and complementary components of debris disks: whereas the different families of planetesimals can be extensively studied in the solar system, they remain unobserved in exoplanet systems. But, in those systems, long-wavelength telescopic observations of dust provide a wealth of indirect information about the unobserved population of planetesimals. Promising progress is being currently made to observe the gas component as well, using millimetre and sub-millimetre giant radio interferometers. Within planetary systems themselves, individual planets are the assembly of a solid body and a fluid envelope, including their planetary atmosphere when there is one. Their characteristics range from terrestrial planets through sub-Neptunes and Neptunes and to gas giants, each type covering most of the orbital distances probed by present-day techniques. With the continuous progress in detection and characterization techniques and the advent of major providers of new data like the Kepler mission, the architecture of these planetary systems can be studied more and more accurately in a statistically meaningful sense and compared to the one of our own solar system, which does not appear to be an exceptional case. Finally, our understanding of exoplanets atmospheres has made spectacular advances recently using the occultation spectroscopy techniques implemented on the currently operating space and ground-based observing facilities. The powerful new observing facilities planned for the near and more distant future will make it possible to address many of the most challenging current questions of the science of exoplanets and their systems. There is little doubt that, using this new generation of facilities, we will be able to reconstruct more and more accurately the complex evolutionary paths which link stellar genesis to the possible emergence of habitable worlds.