Europa Clipper: Exploring Jupiter’s Ocean Moon (Mission Overview)

NASA’s Europa Clipper is the first mission dedicated to studying Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, one of the most promising places in our solar system to find an environment suitable for life outside of Earth. Evidence suggests that beneath Europa’s frozen surface is a global ocean of water, and scientists want to find out if there’s also the right chemistry and energy to sustain life. Europa Clipper is equipped with nine instruments and a gravity experiment. It will orbit Jupiter and make 49 flybys of Europa, gathering data to help scientists understand the moon’s geology, composition, and interior. While not a life-detection mission, Europa Clipper will answer key questions about the moon’s potential habitability. Europa Clipper is expected to launch in October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and arrive at Jupiter in 2030. For more information on the mission go to: Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/KSC/APL