NASA's Europa Clipper, en route to Jupiter's moon Europa, captured a unique infrared photo of Mars during its flyby on March 1, 2025. This maneuver served as a gravity assist to adjust the spacecraft's trajectory and provided a crucial opportunity to calibrate the E-THEMIS (Europa Thermal Imaging System) instrument.
During the Mars flyby, Europa Clipper came within 884 km (550 miles) of the Martian surface. Over an 18-minute period, E-THEMIS captured over 1,000 grayscale images, which were later colorized to highlight temperature variations. The infrared data helps scientists to map temperatures across the planetary surface. Warm regions appear red, while colder areas are purple. For example, the northern polar cap showed temperatures as low as -125°C (-190°F).
The E-THEMIS instrument will scan Europa's surface for signs of recent or ongoing geologic activity and help pinpoint where Europa's vast subsurface ocean might lie closest to the surface. Europa Clipper is expected to reach Jupiter's moon Europa in April 2030. The mission, with an estimated cost of $5.2 billion, will conduct approximately 50 close flybys of Europa to investigate its potential to harbor life. The spacecraft will also perform a gravity assist around Earth in December 2026.