Searching for a habitable ocean
Europa Clipper
Europa Clipper launched on 14 October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket. It is NASA's largest planetary spacecraft, built to explore Jupiter's moon Europa, which hides a global saltwater ocean beneath its icy crust.
After gravity assists from Mars and Earth, it is due to arrive at Jupiter in 2030.
Key facts
- Agency
- NASA / JPL
- Launched
- 2024-10-14
- Launch vehicle
- Falcon Heavy
- Power
- Solar arrays
- Mission type
- Jupiter orbiter making repeated Europa flybys
- Arrival
- 2030 (planned)
- Status
- Cruising to Jupiter
Where it is now
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Jupiter system, arriving in 2030.
Mission objectives
Rather than orbit Europa itself, where radiation is intense, Clipper will orbit Jupiter and make dozens of close flybys of the moon. It will measure the thickness of the ice shell, look for signs of the ocean beneath, study the surface composition and search for possible plumes — assessing whether Europa has the ingredients for life.
The spacecraft
Its solar arrays span more than 30 m — wider than a basketball court is long — to collect enough sunlight at Jupiter. The electronics are protected inside a radiation vault.
Instruments
Nine science instruments include cameras, infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, a thermal imager, an ice-penetrating radar, a magnetometer, plasma and dust analysers and a mass spectrometer, plus gravity science using its radio.
Journey so far
Clipper flew past Mars on 1 March 2025, using the planet's gravity to adjust its course. A further Earth gravity assist is scheduled for December 2026 before the long cruise to Jupiter.
Route and timeline
- 2024-10-14Launch on Falcon Heavy, Kennedy Space Center
- 2025-03-01Mars gravity assist
- 2026-12Earth gravity assistplanned
- 2030-04Arrival at Jupiterplanned
Surprising facts about Europa Clipper
- Europa may hold more than twice as much water as all of Earth's oceans.
- Clipper carries an engraved poem and a microchip with millions of names submitted by the public.
- It is NASA's largest spacecraft ever built for a planetary mission.