Europa Clipper facts for kids
Artist's rendering of the Europa Clipper spacecraft
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| Names | Europa Multiple Flyby Mission |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Europa reconnaissance |
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | Cruise: 5.5 years Science phase: 4 years Elapsed: 9 months, 26 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 6,065 kg (13,371 lb), including 2,750 kg (6,060 lb) propellant |
| Dry mass | 3,241 kg (7,145 lb) |
| Payload mass | 352 kg (776 lb) |
| Dimensions | Height: 6 m (20 ft) Solar panel span: 22 m (72 ft) |
| Power | 600 watts from solar panels |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | October 14, 2024, 16:06:00 UTC (12:06 p.m. EDT) |
| Rocket | Falcon Heavy Block 5 |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Flyby of Mars (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | March 1, 2025, 17:57 UTC (12:57 p.m. EST) |
| Distance | 884 km (549 mi) |
| Flyby of Earth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | December 3, 2026 4:15 PM EST |
| Jupiter orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | April 11, 2030 (first closest approach to Europa) |
| Orbits | 49 |
 Europa Clipper mission patch Large Strategic Science Missions
Planetary Science Division |
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The Europa Clipper is a space probe built by NASA. Its main job is to study Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. Scientists believe Europa might have a huge ocean hidden under its icy surface. This ocean could possibly hold life!
The Europa Clipper launched on October 14, 2024. It used a special trick called a gravity assist from Mars on March 1, 2025. It will also get a gravity assist from Earth on December 3, 2026. These assists help the spacecraft speed up and save fuel. The probe is expected to arrive at Europa in April 2030. Once there, it will fly past Europa many times while orbiting Jupiter.
The mission's name, "Clipper," comes from the fast sailing ships of the 1800s. Just like those ships, the Europa Clipper will make quick, repeated trips past Europa. The mission's patch even shows a sailing ship!
Contents
Why Study Europa?
The Galileo spacecraft, which orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003, found strong hints of an ocean under Europa's ice crust. Europa Clipper is designed to investigate this further.
Scientists want to know if Europa has:
- Liquid water: Is there an ocean, and how does it interact with the ice?
- Right chemistry: Are there the necessary chemicals for life?
- Energy: Is there a source of energy to power life?
The spacecraft will look for signs of water plumes erupting from Europa's surface. It will also study the moon's magnetic field, which can tell us if there's a salty ocean inside.
How Europa Clipper Works
Europa is very close to Jupiter, which has strong radiation belts. This radiation is harmful to spacecraft. Instead of orbiting Europa directly, Europa Clipper will orbit Jupiter in a wide, elliptical path. This allows it to make 49 close flybys of Europa while avoiding the worst radiation.
Each flyby will last only a short time, but the spacecraft will collect a lot of data. Between flybys, it will have many days to send this data back to Earth. This method helps the mission gather much more information than if it stayed in a close orbit around Europa. It also protects the spacecraft from radiation damage.
The spacecraft has a special "radiation vault." This is a shielded box made of aluminum alloy that protects its sensitive electronics.
Mission History
Early Ideas and Discoveries
The idea of sending a mission to Europa has been around for a long time. In 1997, a Europa mission was first suggested to NASA. Around the same time, the Galileo spacecraft was already orbiting Jupiter.
Galileo's mission was extended to focus on Europa. It made eight close flybys of Europa between 1997 and 1999. During these flybys, Galileo gathered important data that strongly suggested a subsurface ocean.
Because of Galileo's discoveries, NASA started planning new missions to Europa. These included ideas for orbiters and multi-flyby spacecraft like Europa Clipper. In 2013, a national research group recommended a mission to Europa. The Europa Clipper mission is a joint effort between Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Building the Spacecraft
In 2015, NASA chose nine scientific instruments to fly on Europa Clipper. These instruments are like the spacecraft's "eyes" and "ears," helping it gather data. The mission concept was approved, allowing the design work to begin.
By August 2019, the spacecraft moved into its final design and building phase. The main body of the spacecraft was finished by June 2022. All the science instruments were added by January 2024.
In May 2024, the spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its final launch preparations. In early October 2024, it was moved to a safe storage area because of Hurricane Milton.
Launch Day
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NASA originally planned to launch Europa Clipper on its powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. However, due to concerns about SLS availability and potential vibrations that could harm the spacecraft, NASA decided to use a commercial rocket.
On July 21, 2021, NASA announced that Europa Clipper would launch on a Falcon Heavy rocket. This choice saved a lot of money and avoided potential delays.
Europa Clipper successfully launched on October 14, 2024, from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A on a Falcon Heavy rocket.
Mission End Plans
After its mission is complete, Europa Clipper is planned to crash into Jupiter, Ganymede, or Callisto. This is done to prevent it from accidentally crashing into Europa. Crashing into Europa could contaminate it with microbes from Earth, which would make it harder to search for life there.
Scientists are considering crashing it into Ganymede. This could help the ESA's JUICE mission, which launched in 2023, learn more about Ganymede's surface. The disposal is planned for September 3, 2034, if the mission is not extended.
Spacecraft Design
The Europa Clipper spacecraft is about 6 meters (20 feet) tall. Its solar panels stretch out 22 meters (72 feet), which is about the length of a tennis court!
Power System
The spacecraft uses solar panels to generate electricity. Even though sunlight is much weaker at Jupiter than at Earth, the large solar panels can still produce 600 watts of power. When the spacecraft is in Europa's shadow, batteries will keep it running.
Propulsion System
The propulsion system helps the spacecraft move through space. It carries nearly 2,700 kilograms (6,000 pounds) of fuel. About half of this fuel will be used for the big burn that puts the spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter. The spacecraft has 24 small rocket engines for steering and propulsion.
Communication System
Europa Clipper has a large high-gain antenna that is 3.1 meters (10 feet) wide. This antenna sends data back to Earth using radio waves. It also helps scientists study Europa's gravity by measuring tiny changes in the radio signals.
Scientific Instruments
Europa Clipper carries nine special scientific instruments. These tools will help scientists learn about Europa's ocean, its surface, and whether it could support life.
- Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System (E-THEMIS): This instrument takes pictures using infrared light. It will look for warm spots on Europa's surface, which could mean there's geological activity or even plumes of water erupting.
- Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE): This instrument uses infrared light to figure out what Europa's surface is made of. It will look for things like organic materials (which are building blocks of life), salts, and different types of ice.
- Europa Imaging System (EIS): This system has two cameras that take detailed pictures of Europa's surface.
- The Wide-angle Camera (WAC) takes broader pictures.
- The Narrow-angle Camera (NAC) takes very close-up, high-resolution images. It can even point at specific targets. These cameras will map almost all of Europa's surface in great detail.
- Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS): This instrument detects ultraviolet light. It can spot small plumes of water erupting from Europa and study the gases around the moon.
- Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON): This is a special radar that can see through ice. It will map the thickness of Europa's ice shell, looking for hidden water pockets and the ocean beneath. It can see up to 30 kilometers (18 miles) deep!
- Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM): This instrument measures magnetic fields. Scientists think Jupiter's magnetic field creates an electric current in Europa's salty ocean. By studying Europa's magnetic field, scientists can confirm if there's an ocean and learn about its depth and saltiness.
- Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS): This instrument measures the plasma (charged particles) around Europa. This helps scientists understand how the plasma affects Europa's magnetic field, which is important for figuring out the ocean's properties.
- Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (MASPEX): This instrument analyzes the gases and tiny particles around Europa. It can tell scientists what the moon's very thin atmosphere is made of, and what materials might be ejected from the surface or ocean.
- Surface Dust Analyzer (SUDA):
This instrument measures tiny dust particles ejected from Europa. It can even detect traces of organic and inorganic compounds in ice grains, which could be signs of life.
- Gravity & Radio Science: The spacecraft's main antenna also helps scientists study Europa's gravity. By tracking how the spacecraft's path changes as it flies by Europa, scientists can learn about the moon's internal structure and how it's affected by Jupiter's strong gravity.
Journey to Jupiter
Europa Clipper · Earth · Jupiter · Sun · Mars
Europa Clipper · Europa · Callisto · Io
Europa Clipper's journey to Jupiter is a long one, taking about 5.5 years. It uses gravity assists from Mars and Earth to gain speed and adjust its path.
- On March 1, 2025, it flew past Mars.
- On December 3, 2026, it will fly past Earth.
These flybys help the spacecraft reach Jupiter by April 2030. Once it arrives, it will perform a flyby of Ganymede to slow down. Then, it will fire its main engine to enter a 202-day orbit around Jupiter.
Europa Clipper will arrive at Jupiter about 15 months before the ESA's JUICE spacecraft. This is because Europa Clipper used a more powerful rocket and a faster flight plan.
Public Involvement
To get people excited about the mission, NASA started a "Message In A Bottle" campaign. People from all over the world were invited to send their names to Europa. These names are etched onto a microchip attached to a special metal plate on the spacecraft.
The plate also has a poem called "In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa," written by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón. The poem talks about the connection between Earth and Europa.
The outside of the plate features waveforms, which are visual representations of the word "water" spoken in 103 different languages. This highlights the mission's focus on finding water on Europa.
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The outside of the Europa Clipper commemorative plate features waveforms that are visual representations of the sound waves formed by the word "water" in 103 languages
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The inside of a commemorative plate mounted on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft features U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón's handwritten "In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa" (blurred for copyright reasons)
See also
In Spanish: Europa Clipper para niños
- Europa Orbiter
- Exploration of Jupiter
- Galileo (spacecraft)
- Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
