NASA Ready To Explore Jupiter And Its Moon Using The Europa Clipper Ride

The launch of the Europa Clipper spacecraft (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA NASA has finally launched a Europa Clipper spacecraft to investigate Europa, a moon from Jupiter. This spacecraft took off from Launch Pad at the Kennedy Space Center on October 14 at 23.06 WIB.

The largest spacecraft ever built by NASA was launched using SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. About five minutes after taking off, the second stage of the rocket is on and the fairing of the cargo opens so that the Europa Clipper can separate itself from the rocket.

One hour later, the Europa Clipper was successfully separated and the control team on the ground managed to receive a signal from the ride. With two-way communication established, the Europa Clipper is officially operational and is in good condition.

Europa Clipper will travel very long, which is 2.9 billion kilometers, before reaching Jupiter's trajectory. The spacecraft will approach Mars, fly back to Earth in 2026, then enter Jupiter's orbit a few years later.

Monitoring this month will orbit Jupiter in April 2030, then fly past Europa 49 times. While crossing Europa, this ride will find out if Europa has signs of life or life-supporting elements.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson said his agency could lead exploration and new discoveries through the Europa Clipper mission. The hope is that this spacecraft can help scientists find new things that have never been revealed.

"By exploring the unknown, Europa Clipper will help us better understand whether there is a potential for life not only within our solar system, but also among billions of months and planets outside our Sun," Nelson said.

While in Jupiter's orbit, the Europa Clipper will gain power from the sun thanks to the solar panels NASA has developed. Designed specifically for interplanetary missions, the panel will stretch 30.5 meters with a propellant weighing 5,900 kilograms.