NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, launched on October 14, 2024, is currently 13 million miles (20 million kilometers) from Earth and en route to Jupiter's moon Europa. The spacecraft is traveling at a speed of 22 miles per second (35 kilometers per second) and is expected to reach Mars in March 2025 for a gravity assist maneuver.
As the largest spacecraft NASA has developed for a planetary mission, Europa Clipper will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) to arrive at Jupiter in 2030. The mission will conduct 49 flybys of Europa starting in 2031, utilizing a suite of instruments to assess whether the moon's internal ocean can support life.
Currently, the spacecraft is transmitting engineering data, confirming successful deployment of its solar arrays and magnetometer boom, which extends 28 feet (8.5 meters). The magnetometer will later measure the magnetic field around Europa, providing insights into the ocean beneath its icy surface.
In addition to the magnetometer, several antennas for the radar instrument have been deployed, including four high-frequency antennas and eight very-high-frequency antennas, which will be critical for data collection.
Mission teams will conduct health checks on the remaining instruments through December 2024 and January 2025. Following these checks, the spacecraft will perform a gravity assist around Mars, capturing multicolored images and collecting data to ensure all systems are functioning correctly.
Europa Clipper's objectives include determining the thickness of Europa's icy shell, investigating its composition, and characterizing its geology. The mission aims to enhance understanding of potential habitable worlds beyond Earth.