NASA Launches Europa Clipper Mission to Explore Jupiter's Moon
NASA is launching the Europa Clipper mission on October 14 from Cape Canaveral to explore Jupiter's moon, Europa, for signs of habitability. The mission will search for water, energy, and chemical compounds that could support life, making 49 close flybys over four years starting in 2030. If conditions for life are found, it could change our understanding of the potential for life in our galaxy.
NASA is set to launch the Europa Clipper mission on October 14 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
This ambitious mission, costing $5.2 billion, will explore Jupiter's moon, Europa, over the course of its four-year main mission beginning in April 2030.
With 49 planned close flybys, the spacecraft will analyze Europa's ice-covered surface and subsurface ocean, searching for conditions that could support life, such as water, energy, and essential chemical compounds.
Europa, a point of interest since the 1979 Voyager missions, is thought to have a hidden ocean beneath its icy shell, making it one of the most promising locations for potential life beyond Earth.
Scientists hope that understanding Europa's habitability will expand our knowledge about the potential for life within our galaxy.
This ambitious mission, costing $5.2 billion, will explore Jupiter's moon, Europa, over the course of its four-year main mission beginning in April 2030.
With 49 planned close flybys, the spacecraft will analyze Europa's ice-covered surface and subsurface ocean, searching for conditions that could support life, such as water, energy, and essential chemical compounds.
Europa, a point of interest since the 1979 Voyager missions, is thought to have a hidden ocean beneath its icy shell, making it one of the most promising locations for potential life beyond Earth.
Scientists hope that understanding Europa's habitability will expand our knowledge about the potential for life within our galaxy.
