Could there be life hiding under the ice of Jupiter's moon Europa? NASA's Europa Clipper mission is on its way to find out!
1An Ocean Beneath the Ice
Europa is one of Jupiter's largest moons, and beneath its frozen surface lies a vast saltwater ocean containing twice as much water as all of Earth's oceans combined. Scientists believe this ocean has existed for billions of years and could have the right conditions for life. Europa Clipper will investigate whether this alien ocean is habitable.
- Europa's ocean: 60-150 km deep, twice Earth's ocean volume
- Ice shell: 15-25 km thick covering the entire moon
- Ocean is kept liquid by tidal heating from Jupiter's gravity
- Salt, minerals, and energy sources may be present
2The Europa Clipper Spacecraft
Launched in October 2024, Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for a planetary mission. Its solar panels span over 30 meters — wider than a basketball court. The spacecraft carries nine scientific instruments worth $5 billion in total mission cost, all focused on answering one of the most profound questions in science: does Jupiter's moon Europa have the conditions necessary to support life?
Europa Clipper will not orbit Europa directly because Jupiter's intense radiation would damage it. Instead, it will make 49 close flybys — swooping past Europa and then retreating to a safer distance. Smart thinking!
3What Will it Look For?
The mission has three main goals: determine the thickness of Europa's ice shell, study the composition of the ocean, and search for signs of recent geological activity like water plumes. If Europa is shooting water into space (as the Hubble telescope has hinted), Clipper could fly directly through those plumes and taste the ocean without ever landing!
- Ice-penetrating radar to map the ocean beneath the surface
- Thermal imaging to find warm spots where water may reach the surface
- Mass spectrometer to analyze any water plumes for organic molecules
- High-resolution cameras to map the surface in incredible detail
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4Arrival at Jupiter: 2030
Europa Clipper will arrive at Jupiter in 2030 after a 5.5-year journey covering 2.9 billion kilometers. Over the following 4 years, it will complete 49 flybys of Europa, each one getting as close as 25 kilometers above the surface. The data it sends back could change our understanding of where life can exist in the universe.
While waiting for Europa Clipper to arrive, learn about the other ocean worlds in our solar system! Enceladus (Saturn's moon) and Titan also have subsurface oceans. Our solar system has over 200 known moons, so you will have plenty to discover!
