Launched on October 14, 2024, NASA's Europa Clipper is undertaking a 1.8 billion-mile journey to explore Europa, Jupiter's enigmatic ice-shrouded moon. Scientists strongly suspect a vast saltwater ocean lies beneath Europa's frozen crust, containing more than double the volume of all Earth's oceans combined. The primary goal is assessing whether the moon possesses environments capable of supporting life.
The spacecraft is scheduled to enter Jupiter's orbit in April 2030, initiating nearly 50 low-altitude flybys of Europa by spring 2031, dipping as low as 16 miles from the surface. Clipper will orbit Jupiter instead of Europa directly to shield its sensitive payload from the gas giant's destructive radiation belts.
Equipped with nine advanced scientific instruments, Europa Clipper will analyze the ice shell, atmosphere, and subsurface ocean during each flyby, offering unprecedented insights into habitability in the outer solar system.
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