NASA’s Europa Clipper mission heads to Jupiter

The spacecraft’s mission is to test whether conditions on the Jovian moon are actually habitable.

The launch of Europa Clipper: A giant step towards Jupiter’s moon

NASA has reached a new milestone in space exploration with the launch of the Europa Clipper probe, the largest spacecraft ever built for an interplanetary mission. Launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the probe began its journey from 1.8 billion kilometers towards Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.

The journey to Europa: A major challenge

Europa Clipper’s route will not be direct. The ship will first pass near Mars and Earth in 2026, using the gravity of these planets to increase its speed. This technique, known as « slingshot » or gravitational slingshot, will allow the probe to reach the outer solar system.

Europa, with its 10- to 15-mile-thick icy shell covering an ocean of salt water — estimated to be twice the volume of all of Earth’s oceans — is one of the most promising worlds for the search for extraterrestrial life. “Scientists believe that Europa has suitable conditions beneath its icy surface to support life. Its conditions are water, energy, chemistry and stability,” said Sandra Connelly, NASA associate deputy director.

A daring scientific mission

If arrival is planned for 2031, the Europa Clipper will make 49 passes close to the moon, at a minimum distance of 16 miles from its surface. Equipped with nine instruments, including ice-penetrating radar, cameras and a thermal instrument, the probe will seek to understand the true depth of the ocean beneath Europa’s ice and identify areas of warmer ice. It will also look for possible plumes of water vapor escaping from Europa’s icy surface.

With this mission, NASA hopes to open a new page in the history of space exploration and make a significant step forward in the quest for life beyond our planet.