MOSCOW. July 24 (Interfax-AVN) - European concern Airbus Defence and Space will build a space probe JUICE (JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer) for a next European Space Agency (ESA) mission on the search for signs of life in the Solar System, the Airbus Defence and Space press service said.

"The European Space Agency has selected Airbus Defence and Space 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 program, with a launch date in 2022," said a press release received by Interfax-AVN on Thursday.

JUICE will explore the Jupiter system and its icy moons, the press release. The first large-class mission under the ESA Cosmic Vision program will study the emergence of habitable worlds around gas giants.

"JUICE will address the question: are there current habitats outside Earth in the Solar System with the necessary conditions to sustain life? To answer this, we will develop and manufacture a fantastic spacecraft, building on our unique expertise gained in previous unrivalled space exploration missions. After the Sun, Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Titan