Europa Clipper Begins 1.8 Billion Mile Journey to Distant Water World

Jupiter’s beloved icy moon is ready for her close-up.

Jupiter’s moon Europa taken by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s. Credit: NASA.

Last month NASA launched its long-awaited Europa Clipper, which will be one of the first missions to study Jupiter’s water world moon in detail. Since the early 70s, astronomers have found evidence that Europa contains a deep subsurface ocean under an icy outer layer, and many hoped that one day we might make it there to confirm it for ourselves. Europa Clipper represents the ultimate dream mission of astrobiologists, as the icy moon may contain ideal conditions for life floating in its massive ocean.

After a slight delay caused by Hurricane Milton, Europa Clipper successfully launched on October 14th. This mission is the first designed to study Jupiter’s moon Europa in never-before-seen detail. Performing dozens of close flybys once it reaches the moon in 2030, the orbiter will collect detailed observations of Europa’s thin atmosphere and icy surface and will use a surface penetrating radar to search for evidence of subsurface water.

Current evidence not only suggests that the moon has a massive ocean under its surface, but it also contains the ingredients necessary for life to form.

Europa Clipper will be able to give us more insight into the moon’s composition…