Produced by: Tarun Mishra
NASA has launched the Europa Clipper mission onboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The mission aims to investigate whether Jupiter’s icy moon Europa harbours ingredients suitable for life.
Europa is believed to have a vast ocean beneath its icy shell, possibly temperate and nutrient-rich. The Europa Clipper will explore whether this hidden ocean could be a habitable environment for life, potentially supporting biological activity.
The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter in a way that minimizes exposure to the planet’s intense radiation, while still allowing close flybys of Europa. During 49 planned flybys, scientists will use various instruments to study the thickness of the ice and the properties of the ocean below.
Europa Clipper will map the moon’s surface using the Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) to identify atoms and molecules, including salts, ices, and organic material that may signal habitability.
The mission will search for potential thermal hot spots and plumes on Europa’s surface using the Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System (E-THEMIS) and the Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS). These plumes could bring material from the ocean to the surface, providing clues about the moon’s habitability.
Instruments like the MAss SPectrometer for Planetary EXploration (MASPEX) and Surface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) will capture and analyse tiny particles of gas and dust ejected from Europa’s surface, possibly revealing their composition and whether they contain ingredients linked to life.
Instruments like the Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM) and Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding to Near-surface (REASON) will measure Europa’s ice thickness, ocean depth, and salinity, providing detailed insights into the moon’s internal structure and its habitability potential.
By probing Europa’s icy surface and ocean, Europa Clipper will offer new data that could raise fresh questions about life beyond Earth. The mission’s findings could reshape our understanding of habitability in icy moons and other celestial bodies in our solar system.