Airbus Group - July 20, 2015 - The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected Airbus Defence and Space, the world's second largest space company, as the prime contractor to develop and build the JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) spacecraft. JUICE is the first large mission of the ESA Cosmic Vision programme, with a launch date in 2022. JUICE is the first European mission to Jupiter; its overarching theme is the emergence of habitable worlds around gas giants. JUICE will investigate the Jupiter system, with a focus on its icy moons and the possibly ocean-bearing worlds of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. The mission will study the moons addressing two key themes: what are the conditions for planet formation and the emergence of life. Airbus Defence and Space is prime contractor for the JUICE spacecraft, building-on the expertise developed on their sites in Toulouse (France), Friedrichshafen (Germany), Stevenage (UK) and Madrid (Spain).