NASA spacecraft to gauge if Jupiter moon can host life

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.