NASA's huge spacecraft will soon launch to alluring ocean world

Some 480 million miles away, an ocean — harboring perhaps twice the water of Earth's seas — sloshes beneath the icy surface of Europa. NASA's going there.

This moon of Jupiter has long intrigued planetary scientists, as a number of missions have swooped by the world's cracked, icy crust. Now, for the first time, a spacecraft is dedicated to investigating the moon. It's slated to launch in October.

"Almost time to spread our wings!" NASA posted online this week. "At @NASAKennedy, our spacecraft has been outfitted with its solar array 'wings.' They're not only huge, but strong enough to withstand the harsh conditions around Jupiter's intriguing moon Europa."

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What's more, the space agency has confirmed that a crucial part of Europa Clipper's infrastructure — the transistors that regulate the craft's electricity — just passed tests. Earlier this year, an agency evaluation raised concerns that intense levels of radiation around Jupiter could impair the mission.

"The Europa Clipper mission team recently conducted extensive testing and analysis of transistors that help control the flow of electricity on the spacecraft. Analysis of the results suggests the transistors can support the baseline mission," NASA wrote on Aug. 28. (The baseline mission means flying by Europa nearly 50 times between 2031 and 2034, which will provide almost complete reconnaissance of the Jovian moon.)

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Europa's cracked, icy surface as captured by the Juno spacecraft in 2022. Credit: Image data: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS // Image processing: Kevin M. Gill CC BY 3.0

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The spacecraft is giant. It's "the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission," the agency explained. When its solar-array wings fold out in space, the over 110-foot (30.5-meter) craft will be longer than an NBA basketball court. The large panels are necessary because the distant Jovian region only receives three to four percent of the sunlight that Earth receives.

"At Jupiter, Europa Clipper’s arrays will together provide roughly 700 watts of electricity, about what a small microwave oven or a coffee maker needs to operate," NASA explained. "On the spacecraft, batteries will store the power to run all of the electronics, a full payload of science instruments, communications equipment, the computer, and an entire propulsion system that includes 24 engines."

A bevy of cameras, ground-penetrating radar, spectrometers, and beyond will scan the world below for water, eruptions of water, and the composition of Europa's ice. Beneath the ice, for example, there might be evidence that Europa hosts hydrothermal vents on its seafloor. On our planet, life teems around these deep-ocean vents.

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"Beyond Earth, Europa is considered one of the most promising places where we might find currently habitable environments in our solar system," NASA said.

The huge spacecraft's launch opportunities open on Oct. 10, 2024, and after looping through the inner solar system, will arrive at Jupiter in 2030.

The observations will be unprecedented. But even more exploration could follow: A potential follow-up mission, called Europa Lander, will settle down on this extraterrestrial world and drill into the still-mysterious ice.