NASA successfully launches the Jupiter moon 'Europa' probe, officially beginning

The unmanned spacecraft “Europa Clipper,” developed by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa, has been successfully launched.

On October 14 (local time), the spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. About an hour after launch, it was deployed into space, officially beginning its journey.

The goal of the Europa Clipper is to investigate the potential for life on Europa.

Europa is one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, and its surface is covered by a thick layer of ice, beneath which there is believed to be a vast ocean.

Scientists believe this ocean may provide an environment suitable for life, and the mission aims to investigate this possibility in more detail.

After arriving in Jupiter’s orbit in April 2030, the spacecraft will conduct close observations of Europa’s surface for about four years.

Europa Clipper will approach as close as 25 km above Europa’s surface and use various scientific instruments to analyze the structure and chemical composition of the ice layer and the ocean.

The mission does not aim to directly confirm the existence of life, but rather to gather information on whether Europa has an environment capable of supporting life.

This mission is one of NASA’s most expensive planetary science projects.

The total cost amounts to $5.2 billion (approximately 7.09 trillion KRW), with $178 million (approximately 243 billion KRW) spent on the rocket launch alone.

Europa Clipper is NASA’s largest spacecraft to date, standing 5 meters tall and with solar panels spanning 30.5 meters.

NASA is also considering the possibility of launching a follow-up mission to land on Europa’s surface for more detailed investigations, depending on the results of Europa Clipper’s mission.

A NASA official stated, “The main goal of this mission is to determine whether Europa possesses the key elements necessary for life,” adding, “We will collect information on whether Europa has an environment suitable for sustaining life.”


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NASA successfully launches the Jupiter moon 'Europa' probe, officially beginning the search for extraterrestrial life.