The spacecraft Europa Clipper was launched by NASA from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US, with the goal of investigating the potential for life on Jupiter's moon Europa. Under sunny skies, the spacecraft lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

The goal of the $5.2 billion mission is to investigate the possibility of life in Europa's subterranean ocean, which is hidden beneath an ice sheet that is more than ten miles thick. This mission marks NASA's first attempt to answer this query.

According to Sandra Connelly, deputy assistant administrator of NASA's science mission division, "Scientists believe Europa has conditions - water, energy, chemistry, and stability - beneath its icy surface that could support life."

 "One of the Europa Clipper mission's main challenges is delivering a spacecraft hardy enough to withstand the pummeling of radiation from Jupiter but also sensitive enough to gather the measurements needed to investigate Europa's environment," according to Connelly.

Jim Free, Nasa's associate administrator, stated that the mission will not look for actual living organisms. "What we discover on Europa will have profound implications for astrobiology and how we view our place in the universe," Free stated.

The Europa Clipper spacecraft, weighing around 12,500 pounds, comes fitted with nine sensors to investigate Europa's ocean depth, surface chemicals, and magnetic field. It is NASA's largest planetary expedition, measuring around 100 feet long and 58 feet broad.

The spacecraft will receive gravitational assistance from flybys of Mars in February and Earth in December 2026. It is expected to join Jupiter's orbit in April 2030, having travelled around 1.8 billion miles in 5-1/2 years, and will make 49 flybys of Europa over a four-year span in a highly radioactive environment.

Nasa had planned to launch Europa Clipper last week, but it was delayed due to Hurricane Milton.

 

Significance of Europa

 

Europa, Jupiter's fourth-largest moon, is thought to have twice the amount of water that Earth's seas contain. It joins other celestial bodies, such as Callisto, Ganymede, and Enceladus, which are speculated to contain secret oceans. 

The mission will determine whether Europa has the necessary components for life—water, energy, and carbon-based compounds.

Its radar detects subterranean lakes and cryovolcanoes, while other equipment investigate the moon's atmosphere and potential water vapour plumes.

The mission's lead scientist, Tom McCord, stated that planning began in 1995. Despite concerns about Europa's volcanic activity and energy sources, the project may pave the path for future ocean exploration.