NASA spacecraft to study whether Jupiter's moon Europa can harbor life

14/10/2024 13:11

        NASA is set to launch a spacecraft to Jupiter's moon Europa, considered one of our solar system's most promising spots to search for life beyond Earth, to learn whether this ice-encased world believed to harbor a vast underground ocean is habitable.
        
        The U.S. space agency's robotic solar-powered Europa Clipper spacecraft will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, carrying nine scientific instruments. After traveling 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) in a trip lasting about 5-1/2 years, Europa Clipper is due to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030.
        
        After a delay caused by Hurricane Milton, NASA set a tentative launch time for 12:06 p.m. ET (1606 GMT) on Monday.