NASA is set to launch its Europa Clipper mission in October 2024, marking the first time a spacecraft has been dedicated to investigating Jupiter’s moon Europa. The moon, which orbits about 480 million miles away from Earth, has long fascinated planetary scientists due to its cracked icy crust and potential for hosting hydrothermal vents beneath its surface.
The Europa Clipper spacecraft is massive, measuring over 110 feet (30.5 meters) in length when its solar-array wings are deployed. This size is necessary because the distant Jovian region receives only three to four percent of the sunlight that Earth receives, making it challenging for the spacecraft to generate power. The arrays will provide about 700 watts of electricity, equivalent to what a small microwave oven or coffee maker needs to operate.
The mission aims to study Europa’s ocean, which is estimated to be twice as large as all of Earth’s seas combined. Aboard the spacecraft are various instruments, including cameras, ground-penetrating radar, spectrometers, and more, designed to scan beneath the ice for signs of water, eruptions, and composition.
Europa is considered one of the most promising places in our solar system where we might find currently habitable environments beyond Earth. If successful, this mission could pave the way for further exploration, including a potential follow-up mission called Europa Lander, which will drill into the ice to gather more data.
The spacecraft will launch on October 10, 2024, and after looping through the inner solar system, it will arrive at Jupiter in 2030. The observations made during this mission will be unprecedented, providing valuable insights into the mysteries of Europa’s subsurface ocean.
Source: https://sea.mashable.com/space/34052/nasas-huge-spacecraft-will-soon-launch-to-alluring-ocean-world