NASA/JPL-Caltech/Gregory M. Waigand
NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is due to launch in October 2024 and head in direction of Jupiter’s moon Europa, the place it will hunt for indicators that this icy satellite tv for pc may very well be appropriate for all times.
The spacecraft received’t orbit Europa when it arrives in 2030 – as an alternative, it will loop round Jupiter in a method that will enable it to repeatedly zoom previous the moon at distances as shut as 25 kilometres from its floor.
“We’re going to get this really comprehensive assessment of what Europa is like,” says Jennifer Scully at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
Of the moon’s many mysteries, maybe a very powerful is the construction of its inner ocean and whether or not it may very well be liveable. While Clipper received’t find a way to search for life itself, it will set the stage for future missions that would.
Topics:
- house exploration/
- 2024 information preview