Europa Clipper lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on October 14, 2024 to begin a six-year journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, which the spacecraft will fly by 49 times, coming as close as 25 km (16 miles) from the surface as it searches for ingredients of life.
Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for a planetary mission.
With its massive solar arrays extended, the probe could span a basketball court (30.5 m, or 100 feet, tip to tip).
“Congratulations to our Europa Clipper team for beginning the first journey to an ocean world beyond Earth,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
“NASA leads the world in exploration and discovery, and the Europa Clipper mission is no different.”
“By exploring the unknown, Europa Clipper will help us better understand whether there is the potential for life not just within our Solar System, but among the billions of moons and planets beyond our Sun.”
“We could not be more excited for the incredible and unprecedented science NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will deliver in the generations to come,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator at Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters.
“Everything in NASA science is interconnected, and Europa Clipper’s scientific discoveries will build upon the legacy that our other missions exploring Jupiter — including Juno, Galileo, and Voyager — created in our search for habitable worlds beyond our home planet.”
“We’re ecstatic to send Europa Clipper on its way to explore a potentially habitable ocean world, thanks to our colleagues and partners who’ve worked so hard to get us to this day,” said Dr. Laurie Leshin, director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“Europa Clipper will undoubtedly deliver mind-blowing science. While always bittersweet to send something we’ve labored over for years off on its long journey, we know this remarkable team and spacecraft will expand our knowledge…
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