NASA has launched the Europa Clipper, the largest spacecraft it has ever built for a planetary mission.
The aim of this spacecraft is to examine whether Jupiter’s moon Europa has conditions suitable to support life, with a focus on the large subsurface ocean believed to be lurking beneath its thick outer shell of ice.
The robotic solar-powered probe is due to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030 after journeying about 2.9 billion km in 5 years and 6 months.
The Europa Clipper is named after its destination, Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter. Europa Clipper will be operating in an intense radiation environment around Jupiter, the solar system’s biggest planet.