MILAN — After much anticipation, a mission aimed at investigating whether Jupiter’s icy moon could support life has begun following the launch of the Europa Clipper spacecraft aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket on October 14.
The Falcon Heavy lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at 12:06 p.m. Eastern Time. About an hour after liftoff, the spacecraft separated from the rocket’s upper stage after reaching an Earth-escape trajectory. Contact was established with ground controllers shortly afterward, confirming the spacecraft’s good condition.
Europa Clipper is among NASA’s most costly science missions to date, with a projected total lifecycle cost of $5.2 billion, covering four years of operations following its arrival at Jupiter in 2030. The mission has been a priority in planetary science, building on over two decades of proposals for orbiters or flyby missions to study Europa.
The mission’s primary objective is to assess whether Europa, which is believed to have a subsurface ocean beneath its icy exterior, could have the necessary conditions to support life. The presence of liquid water, energy from the moon’s interior, and organic compounds are considered essential ingredients for life.
While the spacecraft will not directly search for life, it aims to evaluate the conditions on Europa. “Europa Clipper is not a life-detection mission but a habitability investigation,” stated Gina DiBraccio, the acting director of NASA’s planetary science division, during a pre-launch briefing.
“We are focused on understanding whether Europa has the necessary components to support life in its oceans,” added Robert Pappalardo, the Europa Clipper project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The spacecraft is equipped with nine specialized instruments along with a gravity and radio science experiment. These instruments, which include cameras, spectrometers, and magnetometers, will conduct studies during 49 flybys, offering nearly comprehensive coverage of the moon.
To accommodate this extensive instrumentation, the spacecraft has a weight of 5,700 kilograms when fully fueled and measures 30.5 meters in length when its solar arrays are fully deployed.
Protection against radiation from charged particles within Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field is also a priority for the spacecraft. Although there were initial concerns about the potential degradation of transistors, NASA determined that they could withstand the mission’s demands.
The mission faced early development hurdles and associated costs, but it had strong support from former Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), who played a significant role in securing funding for the mission.
Initially, Culberson advocated for the Europa Clipper to be launched on NASA’s Space Launch System, which would have allowed for a shorter transit to Jupiter. However, in 2020, NASA cited “potential hardware compatibility issues” with the SLS. Ultimately, the mission was contracted for a commercial launch with SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy at a cost of $178 million—a fraction of what a single SLS launch would have spent.
Despite utilizing all three boosters, Falcon Heavy could not send Europa Clipper directly to Jupiter. Instead, the spacecraft will conduct a flyby of Mars early next year and will encounter Earth in late 2026 before arriving at Jupiter in April 2030.
Scientists like Cynthia Phillips, Europa Clipper project staff scientist, express enthusiasm about the long-awaited exploration. “I’ve dreamed of returning to Europa since the Galileo era, which has been about 25 years,” she shared. “I have dedicated nearly ten years to the Europa Clipper project, and I cannot wait for the opportunity to capture new close-up images of Europa’s surface. I understand the necessity for patience over the next six years.”