MILAN — NASA’s long-anticipated mission to investigate whether one of Jupiter’s icy moons can support life has officially begun after the Falcon Heavy rocket launched on October 14.
The Falcon Heavy took off from Launch Complex 39A at 12:06 p.m. Eastern time. After the upper stage completed its two necessary burns to set the spacecraft on a path to escape Earth’s orbit, the Europa Clipper spacecraft detached from the rocket a little more than an hour post-launch. Ground controllers were able to establish contact shortly after, confirming that the spacecraft was functioning normally.
The Europa Clipper mission stands as one of NASA’s most costly scientific endeavors to date, with an estimated total lifecycle expenditure of $5.2 billion, which includes four years of operations following its arrival at Jupiter in 2030. It was highlighted as a top priority in decadal surveys by planetary scientists, continuing a history of proposals for Europa missions over the past two decades.
The mission aims to assess the moon Europa’s potential for hosting life, as it is believed to harbor a subsurface ocean beneath its icy exterior. The presence of liquid water, energy emanating from the moon’s interior, and organic materials would provide all essential components for life.
Although the mission won’t search for life directly, it will investigate if the right conditions exist to foster life. Gina DiBraccio, acting director of NASA’s planetary science division, emphasized during an October 13 briefing that “Europa Clipper is not actually a life-detection mission but a habitability investigation.”
Robert Pappalardo, the project scientist for Europa Clipper at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, expressed the mission’s objective: “We want to understand whether Europa has the key ingredients to support life in its oceans.”
The spacecraft is equipped with nine specialized instruments, including cameras, spectrometers, and magnetometers, to conduct studies of Europa and its internal structure during 49 flybys that will provide nearly comprehensive data about the moon.
Due to the extensive instrumentation, the spacecraft weighs 5,700 kilograms when fully fueled and, when its solar arrays are deployed, will measure 30.5 meters in length.
To protect against the intense radiation from Jupiter’s magnetic field, the spacecraft requires shielding, though NASA confirmed in September that the transistors on board can withstand the planned mission without the need for further adjustments.
Early development faced challenges and cost overruns, but former Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), a strong advocate for the mission, played a key role in securing the funding needed. Despite his push for a launch via NASA’s Space Launch System, which would have facilitated a quicker journey to Jupiter, NASA identified compatibility issues that ultimately led to the decision to pursue a commercial launch instead. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy won the contract in 2021 for $178 million, significantly less than the cost of a single SLS launch.
However, despite utilizing all three booster cores, Falcon Heavy cannot deliver Europa Clipper directly to Jupiter. Instead, the spacecraft will conduct a flyby of Mars early next year and another of Earth in late 2026, aiming to arrive at Jupiter in April 2030.
Scientists are excited about the anticipated scientific rewards from the mission. “I’ve dreamed of returning to Europa since the Galileo era, so for about 25 years now,” said Cynthia Phillips, a project staff scientist at JPL. “I’ve worked actively on the Europa Clipper project for almost 10 years, and I just can’t wait to finally get some new closeup views of the surface of Europa. I know I have to be patient for another six years.”