NASA has successfully launched the Europa Clipper spacecraft, embarking on a mission to investigate whether Jupiter’s moon, Europa, harbors conditions suitable for life.
The spacecraft lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket under clear skies.
Europa Clipper's primary objective is to examine the subsurface ocean believed to lie beneath Europa’s thick outer layer of ice. This moon, which is about a quarter the size of Earth, is thought to contain a vast ocean of salty water that may hold twice as much water as all of Earth’s oceans combined. NASA scientists believe that this ocean, hidden beneath 10-15 miles (15-25 km) of ice, could provide the necessary conditions to support life.
Though Europa Clipper will not search for life directly, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free emphasized that the mission could yield discoveries with "profound implications" for the study of astrobiology and our understanding of life beyond Earth.
The Europa Clipper is NASA’s largest spacecraft ever built for planetary exploration, measuring about 100 feet (30.5 meters) long and 58 feet (17.6 meters) wide when fully deployed. After a 5-1/2 year journey covering 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km), the probe is expected to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030. The spacecraft's route will include flybys of Mars and Earth to harness the planets' gravity for increased speed.
The spacecraft is equipped with nine scientific instruments designed to investigate Europa's environment. These include tools to measure the thickness of the moon’s ice shell, map the surface composition, and search for water vapor plumes that may be venting from beneath the ice. Over the course of three years, Europa Clipper will perform 49 close flybys, coming as close as 16 miles (25 km) to the surface.
One of the mission's major challenges is protecting the spacecraft from Jupiter’s intense radiation. The planet’s magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s, accelerating charged particles that could damage the spacecraft. To counter this, NASA built a titanium and aluminum vault inside the Europa Clipper to shield its sensitive electronics from the harsh radiation.
With its expansive solar arrays providing power, Europa Clipper will gather critical data on Europa’s habitability. Sandra Connelly, NASA's deputy associate administrator for science, highlighted that Europa’s environment contains the key conditions for supporting life: water, energy, chemistry, and stability.