The launch of Europa Clipper will see a new chapter in the exploration of this icy moon.
NASA has announced it will delay the launch of its Europa Clipper mission this week, due to “anticipated hurricane conditions in the area.”
Hurricane Milton is expected to head from the Gulf of Mexico and hit the so-called eastern Space Coast this week.
High winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions.
NASA had previously announced it would target 12 :31 EDT (16:31 UTC) this Thursday October 10, 2024, for the launch of its Europa Clipper mission to the Jupiter system.
Europa Clipper will launch from on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but for now is remaining in the hanger until the storm passes.
Europa Clipper pre-launch broadcasts
NASA planned a week of science briefings and talks in the run-up to the launch of the Europa Clipper mission, and you can watch it all via NASA TV and NASA’s YouTube channel.
The launch of Europa Clipper will be available in English and Spanish via NASA TV and NASA’s YouTube channels (embedded streams at the top of this article).
Launch coverage was due to begin on October 10, 2024 at 11:30 EDT (15:30 UTC), with Europa Clipper-lift-off slated for 12:31 EDT (16:31 UTC).
The launch has now been delayed, with no revised date yet announced. You can still register to attend the Europa Clipper launch virtually.
“The safety of launch team personnel is our highest priority, and all precautions will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft,” says Tim Dunn, senior launch director at NASA’s Launch Services Program.
“Once we have the ‘all-clear’ followed by facility assessment and any recovery actions, we will determine the next launch opportunity for this NASA flagship mission.”
Europa Clipper explained
Here on Earth, where there’s water, there’s life, which one of the reasons why astronomers search for water beyond Earth.
But is that true elsewhere in the Solar System?
It’s thought that one of Jupiter’s icy moons, Europa, is home to a subsurface ocean of liquid water that could potentially be home to some kind of microbial life.
In 2024 NASA is sending its Europa Clipper spacecraft to investigate Jupiter’s moon Europa and determine how likely it is that life might be hiding under the ice.
In this way, it will be covering territory similar to that explored by the European JUICE mission to Jupiter and its moons.
Science goals
Following its launch, the Europa Clipper spacecraft will make the journey to Europa to map the Jovian moon inside and out.
Europa Clipper’s solar arrays will power the spacecraft on its epic voyage across the Solar System.
Using cameras and spectrometers, it will create a detailed atlas of the entire surface, looking for signs of organic chemicals that could form the building blocks of life.
Europa Clipper will also gain a better understanding of the geological processes that shape the moon’s face.
Meanwhile, radar, magnetometers and gravity measurements will allow Europa Clipper to look under the surface, finally confirming whether or not the subsurface ocean even exists.
These measurements will be able to assess the thickness of the ice shell, the depth of the ocean and even its salinity.
It will also keep an eye out for signs of water plumes erupting into the moon’s atmosphere, which have been hinted at by other observations.
The launch of Europa Clipper will see a new chapter in the exploration of this icy moon.
Europa Clipper launch and journey
Europa Clipper is due to launch in October 2024, but won’t reach the Jupiter system until April 2030.
Upon its arrival, the spacecraft won’t be able to orbit the moon directly as it lies in an area of intense radiation created by Jupiter’s strong magnetic field.
Instead, the spacecraft will fly in a wide, looping orbit around the planet, swooping in past the moon to get as close as 25km from the surface.
Europa Clipper will fly by Europa approximately 50 times in this way, building our fullest-ever picture of what lies beneath the surface of this mysterious moon.
This article appeared in the January 2024 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine