Europa Clipper With Instruments Aboard

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft is seen in the main clean room of the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Jan. 19, 2024. The tent around the spacecraft was erected to support electromagnetic testing, which is designed to ensure the hardware will operate correctly in the electrical and magnetic conditions of space – and that the electrical and magnetic components that make up the spacecraft are compatible and don't interfere with one another.

Set to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in October, Europa Clipper will arrive at the Jupiter system in 2030 and conduct about 50 flybys of the moon Europa. The mission's main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the icy surface of Europa that could support life. The mission's three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon's ice shell and its surface interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission's detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.

For more information about Europa and Europa Clipper, go to: europa.nasa.gov