NASA’s Europa Clipper mission was launched atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket on 14 October 2024 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US to explore Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon, and determine if the ocean world below Europa’s icy crust is habitable. It will arrive at Jupiter by 2030.

The launch, scheduled for October 10, was delayed as Hurricane Milton hit the Florida space coast, “While Europa Clipper’s launch period opens Oct. 10, the window provides launch opportunities until Wednesday, Nov. 6.” NASA said in an article.

About the Europa Clipper mission

The Europa Clipper mission was set to launch on October 10, but it was delayed amid hurricane Milton. The launch vehicle was secured at the SpaceX hangar, said NASA, posting on X.

Teams have secured the spacecraft in SpaceX’s hangar at @NASAKennedy. The next launch opportunity will be determined once the storm passes. More: https://t.co/2iZPSR5lpI https://t.co/7FQhkQspKG

— NASA Europa Clipper (@EuropaClipper) October 6, 2024

The Europa Clipper mission is a one-of-a-kind mission that aims to explore the ocean world on Jupiter’s famous icy moon Europa for potential life. This salty ocean on the Europa could be twice as large as all of Earth’s oceans combined. Scientific studies suggest that Europa is a perfect hotspot for life as it contains essential life-supporting factors such as water, chemistry, and energy.

After its launch, the mission will take around 5 and a half years to reach Jupiter. The spacecraft will also carry out some of its journey with gravity assistance from Mars and Earth to accelerate into space, reaching Jupiter by 2030. The probe will not land on the moon but will carry out 49-50 close flybys of Europa, analyzing this icy world from a distance.

The spacecraft will not directly orbit Europa but will orbit Jupiter due to the high amount of radiation. The spacecraft will require about a year to adjust to Jupiter’s orbit and then carry out the scientific studies of Europa.

Why explore Europa?

Scientists believe that Europa is one of the most promising places in the solar system to hunt for extraterrestrial life. Previous NASA missions like Galileo, Juno, Cassini, Voyager-1, Voyager-2, Pioneer-10 and 11, and New Horizons have gathered some important information about Europa’s icy crust that suggests a possible existence of life on this icy moon.

Cost, Dimensions and Instruments

The spacecraft costs about $5 billion. The spacecraft is the size of a basketball court. This huge size is due to its solar panel array, which will be 100 feet (30 meters) long when deployed. The spacecraft is equipped with cutting-edge technology, enabling it to study Europa in a much more detailed manner.

The instruments include:

• Europa Imaging System (EIS): equipped with 8-megapixel cameras, it will image about 90% of Europa’s surface.
• Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System (E-THEMIS): It will observe Europa’s surface in infrared light.
• Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE): It will split light reflected from Europa’s surface into a spectrum and study certain molecules.
• Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS): It will also break down light from Europa’s surface into its component wavelengths and look for plumes of water vapour spraying up through vents in the surface.
• Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration/Europa (MASPEX): It will collect and analyze the gases from the plumes as the spacecraft flies through them.
• Solar Dust Mass Analyzer (SUDA): It will study the molecules blasted off the surface by the perpetual bombardment of micrometeorites.
• Radarmagnetometer for Europa Assessment and Sounding (REASON): It will search for radar echoes from the ocean below, or pockets of liquid water in the icy shell, to determine the thickness of the shell and the depth of the ocean.
• Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM): It will study the depth and saltiness of the ocean and the thickness of the ice shell by studying the magnetic field that Jupiter’s massive magnetosphere induced in Europa’s salty ocean.
• Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS): It will study how Europa interacts with Jupiter’s magnetosphere and the plasma (electrified gas) contained within it.

The spacecraft being equipped with all the necessary equipment won’t directly search for life but will study if Europe is habitable. To find life on Europa, we will have to land on Europa, dig through the icy shell of the moon, and enter the ocean. This might seem like a farfetched dream, but it will soon be a reality.