NASA and SpaceX have successfully launched the Europa Clipper mission, a multibillion-dollar endeavor to investigate the potential for life on Jupiter’s moon Europa. The launch, originally scheduled for Oct. 10, was delayed due to Hurricane Milton, but finally took place on Oct. 14 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“The Europa Clipper spacecraft is ready for its ride into space,” stated Jordan Evans, project manager for the mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, during a pre-launch briefing. “At this point, we are monitoring a very well-behaved spacecraft.”
The mission faced a setback with an anomaly during the deorbit burn of a Falcon 9 upper stage after the launch of NASA’s Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. This resulted in a temporary grounding of the vehicle until the Federal Aviation Administration cleared it for launches. However, following an investigation and clearance, the launch proceeded.
“SpaceX and NASA teams pored over all of this data together and have cleared this specific issue for Europa Clipper,” stated Julianna Scheiman, director of NASA science missions at SpaceX, confirming the Falcon Heavy’s upper stage is similar to the Falcon 9 upper stage. She didn’t specify the cause of the anomaly.
The launch successfully sent the 5,700-kilogram Europa Clipper spacecraft on a trajectory that includes flybys of Mars in March 2025 and Earth in December 2026 before reaching Jupiter in April 2030. Spacecraft separation from the Falcon Heavy upper stage occurred just over an hour after liftoff, and initial signals from the spacecraft were received shortly after separation. The spacecraft then began deploying its solar arrays, with confirmation of their functionality expected soon after.
Upon entering orbit around Jupiter, the spacecraft will perform numerous close approaches of Europa, an icy moon believed to have a subsurface ocean that could be habitable. “Europa is a fascinating destination,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free. “Clipper is the first NASA spacecraft dedicated to studying an ocean world beyond Earth.”
The mission’s significance, particularly in determining Europa’s habitability, has made it a top priority for planetary scientists. The mission’s overall cost, including operations through a prime mission at Jupiter extending to 2034, has reached $5.2 billion.
“I can’t think of a better mission to sacrifice boosters for,” said Scheiman. “We might have the opportunity to discover life in our own solar system.”