NASA/JPL-Caltech/Gregory M. Waigand
NASA’s Europa Clipper project is because of release in October 2024 and head in opposition to Jupiter’s moon Europa, the place it’ll hunt for indicators that this icy satellite tv for pc might be appropriate for lifestyles.
The spacecraft received’t orbit Europa when it arrives in 2030 – as a substitute, it’ll loop round Jupiter in some way that can permit it to many times zoom previous the moon at distances as shut as 25 kilometres from its floor.
“We’re going to get this in point of fact complete overview of what Europa is like,” says Jennifer Scully at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
Of the moon’s many mysteries, most likely crucial is the construction of its inside ocean and whether or not it might be liveable. Whilst Clipper received’t have the ability to search for lifestyles itself, it’ll set the level for long term missions that might.
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