By Simon Benca, Grade 11
This year, NASA has launched a rocket to Jupiter’s moons to find out if life can exist there. Scientific research currently shows that underneath its icy outer layer, Europa may have all of the conditions needed for life to exist there. The rocket will travel in space for six years and contain a spacecraft that will orbit Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.
NASA has been planning a mission to explore Europa since 2013. Europa has been considered to be one of the most promising habitable environments in our solar system. For this mission, they have developed the Europa Clipper, the largest spacecraft used for planetary missions. This 16 foot tall spacecraft has enough solar arrays to collect enough light to power it, even though it is extremely distant from the sun.
On October 14, 2024, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, containing the Europa Clipper, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Europa Clipper is predicted to reach Jupiter’s moon by 2030. It will then orbit Europa to determine if it can sustain life. The plan is for the Europa Clipper to use thermal instruments to discover warmer parts of the ice and possibly underwater eruptions. It will also measure the composition of the moon’s atmosphere.
NASA’s plan to explore Europa will be monumental in the search for life outside of our planet. In 2030, the Europa Clipper will begin orbiting Jupiter’s fourth largest moon, which will help determine if the conditions there can sustain life.