Content Continues Below
 

Many of Sonic the Hedgehog’s games end with the blue blur blasting off into space, usually to fight a giant robot or alien creature. Now it’s happening in the real world, albeit with a more scientific goal in mind.

The JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons) Explorer is currently under construction at the European Space Agency and it’s set to receive some parts from Japan’s Tohoku University. As reported by Siliconera, the European staff behind the project, headed up by Professor Jan-Erik Wahlund, suggested to Sega that Sonic appear on the RPWI (Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation) device within the explorer as part of the logo. Sega agreed, and said logo now includes classic Sonic, a lightning bolt, and a depiction of the Explorer.

As for that bizarre tagline, it’s referencing how the Explorer hopes to uncover any water bodies beneath the icy surfaces of two moons — Callisto and Ganymede.

The Explorer is currently set to launch in 2022 and arrive at Jupiter in 2029.
 

Leave a Comment

Written by Tom Brown

Whether it’s an exciting new entry in a series long established or a weird experiment meant only for the dedicated, Tom is eager to report on it. Rest assured, if Nintendo ever announces Elite Beat Agents 2, he’ll be there.