10/13/2024

NASA Spacecraft to Study Whether Europa can Harbor Life

Europa is Jupiter's moon

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to launch a spacecraft to Jupiter's moon Europa, considered one of our solar system's most promising spots to search for life beyond Earth, to learn whether this ice-encased world believed to harbor a vast underground ocean is habitable.

The U.S. space agency's robotic solar-powered Europa Clipper spacecraft will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, carrying nine scientific instruments. After traveling 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) in a trip lasting about 5-1/2 years, Europa Clipper is due to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030.

After a delay caused by Hurricane Milton, NASA set a tentative launch time for 12:06 p.m. ET on Monday.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Reuters.