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A NASA spacecraft blasted off Monday to explore Jupiter’s fascinating moon Europa and discover whether its vast hidden ocean might hold the key to life.
Europa Clipper will take 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter, where it will slip into orbit around the gas giant planet and get close to Europa during dozens of radiation-laden flybys.
Scientists are almost certain that a deep, global ocean exists beneath Europa’s icy crust. And where there is water, there may be life, making the Moon one of the most promising places to look for it.
Europa Clipper will not search for life; There is no life detector in it. Instead, the spacecraft will focus on the materials needed to sustain life, searching for organic compounds and other clues as it searches beneath the ice for suitable conditions.
“Ocean worlds like Europa are unique not only because they may be habitable, but they may still be habitable today,” NASA’s Gina DiBraccio said on the eve of the launch.
SpaceX launched Clipper on its 1.8 million-mile (3 billion kilometer) journey by launching the spacecraft on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The $5.2 billion mission was almost derailed due to a transistor issue.
It was not until the spring that NASA discovered that Clipper’s transistors might be more sensitive to Jupiter’s intense radiation field than anticipated. Clipper will endure the equivalent of several million chest X-rays during each of 49 Europa flybys. The space agency spent several months reviewing everything before concluding in September that the mission could proceed as planned.
Hurricane Milton increased concerns, delaying the launch by several days.
About the size of a basketball court with its solar wings open, Clipper will pass Mars and then Earth on its way to Jupiter for a gravity assist. The approximately 13,000-pound (5,700 kg) probe should reach the solar system’s largest planet in 2030.
Clipper will orbit Jupiter every 21 days. One of those days will bring it as close as Europa, the last of Jupiter’s 95 known moons, and closest in size to our own moon.
The spacecraft will fly as high as 16 miles (25 kilometers) above Europa — much closer than some previous visitors. The onboard radar will attempt to penetrate the moon’s ice sheet, which is thought to be 10 miles to 15 miles or more (15 kilometers to 24 kilometers) thick. The ocean below may be 80 miles (120 kilometers) or more deep.
The spacecraft carries nine instruments, its sensitive electronics stored in a vault with dense zinc and aluminum walls for protection from radiation. The exploration will continue until 2034.
According to scientists, if conditions are found favorable for life in Europa, it opens up the possibility of life in other oceanic worlds in our solar system and beyond. Saturn’s moon Enceladus is another top candidate, with underground oceans and geysers.
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