Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is estimated to have twice the volume of Earth’s oceans|Stuart Rankin|CC BY-NC 2.0
NASA launched the Europa Clipper spacecraft on Monday as part of a $5.2 billion mission to explore one of Jupiter’s 95 moons, which may harbor an ocean beneath its surface.
Jupiter’s moon Europa’s ocean is estimated to have twice the volume of Earth’s oceans.
The spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center—the largest one ever built for a planetary science mission. It will travel 1.8 billion miles over five and a half years and reach Jupiter in 2030.
The uncrewed aircraft won’t land on Europa. The mission will conduct 49 flybys, studying Europa’s ice thickness, internal structure and geology. Scientists hope the data will help assess if the moon has the potential to support life.