Europa Clipper: 10 Things To Know About The NASA Mission Flying To Jupiter’s Icy Moon

NASA's Europa Clipper mission, launching on October 2024, will orbit Jupiter and conduct 49 close flybys of Europa, an icy moon with a subsurface ocean potentially harbouring life.

Europa Mission: NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is set to unlock the mysteries of one of Jupiter’s most intriguing moons, Europa. The launch window for the mission is opening on October 10, 2024, and the spacecraft will undertake the journey to determine whether the icy moon of the largest plant in our solar system holds the potential to support life.

Here are 10 key things to know about this "groundbreaking" space mission, around which a lot of excitement is building to know as it could make one of the most profound discoveries in space exploration: the potential for life on another world.

1. Europa Matters, Because...  

Europa is considered to be one of the most promising places to find habitable conditions beyond Earth. According to NASA, scientific evidence suggests that the essential ingredients for life — water, the right chemistry, and energy — may exist beneath its icy shell.

2. Europa Clipper Will Study The Ocean Beneath The Ice  

Previous NASA missions have provided evidence of an enormous salty ocean beneath Europa’s frozen surface. This ocean could be twice as large as all of Earth’s oceans combined, making Europa a prime target in the search for life beyond our planet.

3. It Will Be A Long Journey  

The mission will take approximately 5 and a half years to reach Jupiter, covering 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometres). To conserve fuel, Europa Clipper will use gravity assists from Mars and Earth to accelerate its path toward the gas giant, with arrival expected in 2030.

4. Mission Focus: 49 Flybys  

NASA has said Europa Clipper will not land on the moon but will orbit Jupiter and conduct 49 close flybys of Europa, gathering detailed data on its icy crust and subsurface ocean. Each flyby will help scientists assess whether Europa could harbour life.

5. Extreme Radiation Environment  

Europa Clipper will navigate one of the harshest radiation environments in our solar system, second only to the Sun. Jupiter’s magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s, making radiation protection a critical part of the mission. The spacecraft will be equipped with a vault to shield its electronics from the radiation, NASA has said.

6. Sophisticated Scientific Instruments  

According to the space agency, the spacecraft will carry nine science instruments, including tools to study the moon’s interior, composition, and geology. These instruments will work together during each flyby, layering data to provide a comprehensive understanding of Europa’s potential habitability.

7. The Largest Planetary Spacecraft  

Europa Clipper is NASA’s largest spacecraft ever built for a planetary mission. Once fully deployed, it will measure 100 feet (30.5 meters) from end to end, with solar arrays that span 58 feet (17.6 meters). These arrays are necessary to gather enough sunlight to power the spacecraft during its journey to Jupiter.

8. A Global Collaboration  

The Europa Clipper mission is a global effort. About 1,000 people are currently working on the mission, including more than 220 scientists from the US and Europe, according to NASA. 

9. Message From Earth  

Along for the ride is a special campaign called “Message in a Bottle". The spacecraft carries a poem by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón and names of more than 2.6 million people from around the world. This message will journey with Europa Clipper as it seeks to explore the mysteries of another water world.

10. Habitability Beyond Earth

The primary objective of Europa Clipper is to determine whether Europa is habitable. The mission will measure the thickness of its icy crust, analyse its surface composition, and study its geological features.