SpaceX will launch NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter’s moon

[ad_1]

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch NASA’s long-awaited mission to Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter that may have the conditions to support life. The agency had been planning to send a probe to the Jovian moon for years and finalized those plans in 2019. In its announcement, NASA said the Europa Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch in October 2024 atop a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The launch of Complex 39a. It also revealed that the contract would cost the agency roughly $178 million — a bargain, compared to what it would cost to launch the mission on top of a NASA Space Launch System rocket.

As Ars Technica notes, Congress originally urged NASA to use SLS to launch the Europa Clipper. At the time, though, the White House estimated the cost of launching a single SLS to be $2 billion. Far from ideal, especially since the SLS would need gravitational assistance from Venus and travel farther to be able to reach its target, whereas the Falcon Heavy would not. In addition, NASA told Ars that the SLS would need an additional $1 billion in modifications to be able to complete the mission.

If the Europa Clipper launches in October 2024 as planned, it will reach Jupiter’s orbit in April 2030. The probe will then investigate whether the icy moon really has conditions suitable for life. It will “take high-resolution images of Europa’s surface, determine its composition, look for signs of recent or ongoing geological activity, measure the thickness of the moon’s ice crust, search for subterranean lakes, and determine the depth and salinity of Europa’s ocean.”

All products recommended by Engadget are handpicked by our editorial team, independently of the parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

[ad_2]