Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, designed to explore the icy moon Europa, is set to launch on October 10, 2024. The mission aims to investigate whether the moon, believed to have a subsurface ocean, could support life.
Europa is considered one of the most promising places to search for life beyond Earth. Scientists believe its vast ocean, possibly containing more water than Earth’s oceans, along with energy sources and the right chemistry, may create habitable conditions under its icy crust.
Europa Clipper will navigate through Jupiter’s intense radiation belt, one of the most dangerous in the solar system. To protect the spacecraft’s electronics, engineers built a radiation-shielded vault and designed orbits that minimize its exposure to harmful radiation.
Rather than orbiting Europa directly, the spacecraft will orbit Jupiter and perform 49 close flybys of Europa. Each flyby will allow the spacecraft to collect data while spending limited time in Jupiter’s hazardous radiation zone.
Equipped with nine science instruments, Europa Clipper will study the moon’s surface and subsurface. The instruments will work together during each flyby to gather data on Europa’s ice shell, ocean, and geological activity, helping scientists determine its potential habitability.
Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has developed for a planetary mission, extending 100 feet with its solar arrays. These large arrays are necessary to power the spacecraft as it travels near Jupiter, far from the Sun’s energy.
The spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometres) to reach Europa, using gravity assists from Mars and Earth to conserve fuel. It will take 5.5 years to reach its destination, with an expected arrival in 2030.
Over 4,000 people have contributed to the Europa Clipper mission, including scientists from the U.S. and Europe. Additionally, 2.6 million names, submitted by people worldwide, are stencilled on a microchip aboard the spacecraft, symbolizing a message from one water world to another.