Europa Clipper
Europa Clipper launched Oct. 14, 2024, on a journey to explore Europa, Jupiter's ocean world.
Mission overview
why europa
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What Will Europa Clipper Do?
Europa Clipper will try to determine if Jupiter's icy moon Europa currently has habitable conditions.
Europa Clipper will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) to reach Jupiter in April 2030. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter, and conduct 49 close flybys of Europa. The spacecraft carries nine science instruments, and a gravity experiment that uses the telecommunications system. All science instruments will operate simultaneously on every pass.
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Science Goals
What is Europa Clipper's main science goal?
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.
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Meet the Europa Clipper Spacecraft
Europa Clipper is a robotic solar-powered spacecraft built to conduct the first detailed investigations of Jupiter's icy moon Europa.
With its solar arrays deployed, Europa Clipper spans more than 100 feet (about 30 meters) – about the length of a basketball court. The main body of the spacecraft consists of its avionics vault, radio frequency module, and propulsion module.
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Why Go to Europa?
The search for life beyond Earth is one of NASA’s primary objectives.
If humans are to truly understand our place in the universe, we must learn whether our planet is the only place where life exists. So the search is on! There is strong evidence Jupiter's moon Europa has a saltwater ocean that may be one of the best places to look for environments where life could exist beyond Earth.
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