NASA’s Europa Clipper probe lifted off Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its astrobiology mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The start was postponed several times due to Hurricane Milton.
‘Europa Clipper’ is expected to reach Jupiter’s moon Europa in April 2030. With the mission, the American space agency NASA wants to find out more about Europa – one of dozens of Jupiter’s moons. The mission also investigates whether there is another celestial body in our solar system besides Earth that could support life.
Ocean of liquid water under the ice
Scientists believe that beneath the icy surface of the moon Europa lies an ocean of liquid water. The mission will not directly search for signs of life, but rather answer the question: Does the moon Europa have the conditions that would support life?
“Europe is one of the most promising places to look for life beyond Earth,” NASA representative Gina DiBraccio said at a press conference last month. It’s “not about exploring a world that could have been habitable billions of years ago” like Mars, “but about a world that could be habitable today, right at this moment,” explains the person involved is part of the “Europa Clipper” programme. Researcher Curt Niebur.
NASA has never planned such a large probe (see illustration above) for an interplanetary survey. When fully deployed, its massive solar panels are 100 feet wide and designed to capture the faint light that reaches Jupiter.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
