NASA's Europa Clipper mission has launched to explore Jupiter's moon Europa, aiming to determine if its vast subsurface ocean can support life. The spacecraft will fly 1.8 billion miles, conducting 49 flybys of the icy moon to gather critical data on its potential habitability.
NASA launched its Europa Clipper spacecraft from Florida on Monday to investigate whether Jupiter's moon Europa could support life, particularly focusing on its subsurface ocean beneath an icy outer shell.
The spacecraft, launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, is expected to orbit Jupiter by 2030 after a 1.8 billion-mile journey. Europa Clipper is NASA's largest planetary spacecraft, at about 100 feet long and 58 feet wide with antennas and solar arrays, weighing around 13,000 pounds.
Europa, smaller than Earth but rich in water, may contain twice as much water as Earth's oceans beneath a thick icy layer.
NASA's Jim Free emphasized that Europa has one of the best environments for potential habitability in our solar system, although the mission won't search for life directly.
Sandra Connelly added that the moon has "water, energy, chemistry, and stability," crucial conditions for supporting life. The mission aims to study the internal ocean, map the surface, and look for water vapor plumes. Europa Clipper will complete 49 close flybys starting in 2031.
Facing intense radiation from Jupiter's magnetic field, Europa Clipper's electronics will be protected by a titanium-aluminum vault. The spacecraft will fly by Mars and Earth to gain momentum before reaching Jupiter, with solar arrays providing power for its nine instruments and subsystems.
Access to Google services was restored Thursday after a region-wide outage cut off millions of users across dozens of countries, with disruptions repo...
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met on Thursday in Beijing, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV....
When Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants stormed her village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Maman Soki lost her daughter, sister, and n...
European leaders including Türkiye and Canada are arriving in Paris, France on Thursday for another "coalition of the willing" meeting....
Afghanistan’s Minister of Economy, Haji Qari Din Mohammad Hanif, has praised Japan for its humanitarian and development assistance over the past two...
A Chinese research team has unveiled a prototype washing machine designed for use in space, joining a growing international push to solve one of the more mundane but pressing challenges of long-duration missions: laundry.
SpaceX launched its 50th Dragon spacecraft mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, delivering 5,000 lbs of supplies and scientific experiments. The CRS-33 mission also supports critical research for future human space exploration.
NASA is preparing for its second year-long Mars analog mission inside the 1,700-square-foot 3D-printed CHAPEA habitat at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The acting chief of the U.S. space agency NASA is expected to unveil a directive this week to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, according to U.S. media reports, as the United States seeks to strengthen its space presence amid growing competition from China and Russia.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met on Thursday in Beijing, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
When Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants stormed her village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Maman Soki lost her daughter, sister, and neighbours.
European leaders including Türkiye and Canada are arriving in Paris, France on Thursday for another "coalition of the willing" meeting.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Economy, Haji Qari Din Mohammad Hanif, has praised Japan for its humanitarian and development assistance over the past two years, calling relations between Kabul and Tokyo “historic”.
Rescue teams have been working to recover bodies from the wreckage of homes destroyed in this week’s earthquakes in Afghanistan, as the window for survivors narrows.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment