SpaceX successfully launched NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft to investigate Jupiter‘s moon Europa to see if it has a suitable environment for life.
On October 14 at 11:06pm Thailand time, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. To launch the Europa Clipper spacecraft, it will begin a journey of more than 2.9 billion kilometers and take 5.5 years in deep space to enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030.
On this flight, the Falcon Heavy rocket was used to its full potential. That is, there will be no attempt to retrieve the three delivered boosters. To launch the Europa Clipper spacecraft into orbit. The Interplanetary Transfer Orbit is headed for a flyby of Mars in early March 2025 before returning for a flyby in December 2026 to use gravity from both planets. Help accelerate the spacecraft’s journey to Jupiter.
The Europa Clipper isn’t just a mission to find extraterrestrial life. But the main mission is to find out if Europa’s environment is suitable for life by studying things such as proving that there is a large ocean below the surface. Study the chemical composition of the star. Includes geological features and water vapor that may escape from beneath the ice crust.
It is the largest deep space probe in NASA history, with a length of 25 meters and a large solar panel. To be used to obtain energy from sunlight that is only 4% clear in orbit around Jupiter. Compared to Earth-orbiting spacecraft, NASA’s Juno spacecraft proved that Jupiter-orbiting spacecraft can complete missions powered by solar cells.
NASA Deputy Administrator Nikki Fox said, “We are excited for the incredible Europa Clipper mission and its unprecedented scientific discoveries. which will take place many years from now and is an extension of the knowledge previously explored by spacecraft such as Voyager, Galileo and Juno. To participate in the search for habitable stars beyond our world.”
Image: Kim Shiflett/NASA
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