Europa Clipper Mission: US space agency NASA has launched a spacecraft to Europa, Jupiter’s moon, to ascertain if it can support life in the ocean beneath its icy shell. This USD 5 billion mission aims to explore Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, to investigate whether it could harbour conditions suitable for life.
The U.S. space agency's Europa Clipper spacecraft blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket under sunny skies. The robotic solar-powered probe is due to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030 after journeying about 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) in 5-1/2 years. The launch had been planned for last week but was put off because of Hurricane Milton.
Largest spacecraft built by NASA
With its massive solar arrays and radar antennas, Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. The spacecraft has large solar arrays to collect enough light for its power needs as it operates in the Jupiter system, which is more than five times as far from the Sun as Earth. The spacecraft will be about 16 feet (5 meters) in height. With its arrays deployed, the spacecraft spans more than 100 feet (30.5 meters) and has a dry mass (no propellant in the tanks) of 7,145 pounds (3,241 kg).
Even though Europa, the fourth-largest of Jupiter's 95 officially recognized moons, is just a quarter of Earth's diameter, its vast global ocean of salty liquid water may contain twice the water in Earth's oceans. Earth's oceans are thought to have been the birthplace for life on our planet.
Europa, whose diameter of roughly 1,940 miles (3,100 km) is approximately 90% that of our moon, has been viewed as a potential habitat for life beyond Earth in our solar system. Its icy shell is believed to be 10-15 miles (15-25 km) thick, sitting atop an ocean 40-100 miles (60-150 km) deep.
What will Europa Clipper do?
According to the NASA, the Europa Clipper’s main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life.
The mission’s three main science objectives are to understand the nature of the ice shell and the ocean beneath it, along with the moon’s composition and geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft will perform dozens of close flybys of Jupiter’s moon Europa, gathering detailed measurements to investigate the moon. The spacecraft, in orbit around Jupiter, will make nearly 50 flybys of Europa at closest-approach altitudes as low as 16 miles (25 km) above the surface, soaring over a different location during each flyby to scan nearly the entire moon.
Clipper will circle Jupiter every 21 days
Clipper will circle Jupiter every 21 days. One of those days will bring it close to Europa, among 95 known moons at Jupiter and close to our own moon in size.
The spacecraft will skim as low as 16 miles (25 km) above Europa — much closer than the few previous visitors. Onboard radar will attempt to penetrate the moon's ice sheet, believed to be 10 miles to 15 miles or more (15 km to 24 km) thick. The ocean below could be 80 miles (120 km) or more deep.
The spacecraft holds nine instruments, with its sensitive electronics stored in a vault with dense zinc and aluminum walls for protection against radiation. Exploration will last until 2034.
If conditions are found to be favourable for life at Europa, then that opens up the possibility of life at other ocean worlds in our solar system and beyond, according to scientists. With an underground ocean and geysers, Saturn's moon Enceladus is another top candidate.
(With agencies input)
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