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NASAhas successfully launch the Europa Clipper , the delegacy ’s with child - ever interplanetary space vehicle , into place and it ’s now headed for Jupiter ’s frozen moon Europa .
" Congratulations to our Europa Clipper team for beginning the first journey to an sea human beings beyond Earth , " NASA AdministratorBill Nelsonsaidin a affirmation .
An artist’s impression of Europa Clipper performing a flyby of Europa as it orbits Jupiter
The craft took off Oct. 14 on top of aSpaceXFalcon Heavy projectile from NASA ’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida . It was originally slated to found Oct. 10 , but the mission was push back because ofHurricane Milton , which smashed into Florida Oct. 9 .
When the Europa Clipper arrives in 2030 , the satellite will study the stock-still moon ’s obscure sea , which is shut away beneath an glacial cuticle , to determine how inhabitable the ocean is and whether it could potentially support life .
Related : Jupiter ’s lunar month Europa lacks atomic number 8 , making it less hospitable for sustaining biography
How big is the Europa Clipper?
Once it circularise its solar regalia , the orbiter will measure around 100 foot ( 30 meters ) wide — bad than a basketball game tourist court . It is about 16 feet ( 5 m ) mellow , according to NASA . The gargantuan arrays are involve to collect solar energy to power the craft when it go far at Europa , which is about 470 million mile ( 760 million kilometers ) from the sun .
How long will it take the Europa Clipper to reach Jupiter?
The craft will take 5.5 years and trip 1.8 billion miles ( 2.9 billion km ) to Jupiter ’s fourthly - largest synodic month , concord to NASA’sJet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL ) . It will swing nigh to Mars for a " sobriety assist " in February 2025 , before heading back to Earth to slingshot around our major planet in December 2025 to make its way to Jupiter . It will make the stupendous planet and its moons in June 2030 .
Once there , the orbiter will perform flybys around several of Jupiter ’s moons , before making its first pass of Europa in spring 2031 . In totality , the guile will perform 49 flybys of Europa .
What is the purpose of Europa Clipper?
Europa Clipper ’s mission is to peer beneath Europa ’s quick-frozen Earth’s surface to look for cardinal signs of habitable status . These are water , organic fertiliser — essential chemical substance building block — chemic energy sources under the open , and signs of unchanging conditions , according toNASA .
Scientists believe that Europa has a vast saltwater sea that hold twice as much water as Earth ’s oceans — even though the moon is just one - quarter the size of it of our planet . Because of this water , scientists weigh Europa one of the likeliest places in thesolar systemto find habitable conditions . Scientists still are n’t certain how dense the frozen eggshell is , so one of Europa ’s main scientific aim is to determine this and run out the writing of the ice and the vast sea beneath it , according to NASA .
The finding could give scientist clues about where to spot potential life across the universe .
" By research the nameless , Europa Clipper will assist us easily understand whether there is the potential for spirit not just within our solar system , but among the billions of moons and planets beyond our Sun , " Nelson note .
However , Europa Clipper will not look right away for signs of alien lifetime in the Sun Myung Moon ’s sea .
How much does Europa Clipper cost?
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Europa Clipper cost about $ 3.8 billion to make and launch , and it will cost another $ 1.2 billion to operate until it completes its core mission in 2034 , consort to thePlanetary Society . The spacecraft is convey acollection of advanced equipment , which accounts for some of this price . The nine instrument let in an array of cameras to regard the moon in visible light and infrared ; a spectrometer and spectrograph to bring out Europa ’s constitution ; instruments to monitor gravity , magnetic fields and plasma ; radar to peer beneath the surface ; and instruments to perform chemical analysis .
The instruments are encase in a bank vault line with aluminum and titanium to protect them from the super high levels of radiation around Jupiter , according to NASA . These radiation point are the second - eminent in the full solar system — second only to the sun , according toJPL .
Will Europa clipper land on Europa?
The spacecraft will not land on Europa . Instead , it will remain in an oviform orbit around Jupiter , which will help oneself it survive the radiation level that survive closer to Jupiter and Europa . At the remnant of its life story , Europa Clipper will in all likelihood " deorbit , " meaning deliberately clank , into the surface of Ganymede — Jupiter ’s and the solar system ’s largest Sun Myung Moon .
