Europa Clipper's Uv Spectrograph Successfully Tested, Ready to Explore Europa's Atmosphere

The Europa Clipper mission's Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) has been successfully tested. Led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), the instrument is designed to analyze the composition of Europa's atmospheric gases and surface materials using ultraviolet light. The initial testing process began in January at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). However, it was temporarily halted due to fires in Southern California. Testing resumed in May, allowing scientists to open the instrument's aperture door and collect UV light from space, confirming its functionality. Europa-UVS, weighing 19 kg and using 7.9 watts of power, will measure elements and molecules in Europa's atmosphere. It will also search for plumes erupting from Europa's subsurface, providing insights into the moon's water reservoirs. The mission is managed by NASA's JPL, with contributions from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).