Sloth steals the show during European rocket launch broadcast

French Guiana - A two-second video clip of a sloth delighted viewers who tuned in to watch the European Space Agency (ESA) launch of a mission to Jupiter on Saturday.

The sloth appeared in a video report about the preparations for the launch of JUICE — short for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer — aboard the Ariane 5 rocket at the ESA’s spaceport in French Guiana.

Dr. Nadia Drake of Quanta Magazine, who spotted the cameo and posted about it on Twitter, said: "Aside from the actual launch, this guy is definitely the star of @ESA’s JUICE telecast."

A sloth delighted viewers watching a broadcast of a European rocket launch. 

Replying to Drake, the ESA said: "Although we were focusing on a certain rocket and spacecraft, we tend to agree."

The ESA also posted a screenshot of the sloth that has been named Gerard.