Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Muskan Arora
US space scientists revealed the interplanetary probe slated for a journey to one of Jupiter's icy moons, marking a crucial step in humanity's quest for alien life beyond Earth.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Clipper spacecraft is set to embark on its mission to Europa, a moon of Jupiter that holds promise as a potential habitat for extraterrestrial life due to its icy surface.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Bob Pappalardo, the project scientist, underscored NASA's mission to explore the possibility of life beyond Earth and the significance of discovering conditions conducive to life on Europa.
Source: NASA
The $5 billion probe is currently housed in a "clean room" at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, ensuring it remains free of contaminants that could interfere with its mission to Europa.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Following transport to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Clipper will be launched aboard a Space X Falcon Heavy rocket, embarking on a five-year journey that includes a pass by Mars to gain speed.
Source: SpaceX
Clipper is equipped with a suite of instruments, including cameras, spectrometers, a magnetometer, and radar, to study Europa's surface and subsurface, assessing the thickness of its ice and the presence of liquid water.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The mission faces challenges such as navigating Europa's powerful radiation field, ensuring continuous power supply from solar panels, and coping with signal delays due to vast distances.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Despite the difficulties, the Europa Clipper mission offers hope for uncovering clues about potential habitats for life beyond Earth, expanding humanity's understanding of the cosmos.
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech