Europa Clipper

Europa Clipper is the first mission designed for a detailed study of Jupiter’s moon Europa, where strong evidence points to a saltwater ocean beneath the ice. Its goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface that could support life. JPL leads its development in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. With its solar arrays deployed, it spans more than 100 feet (30.5 meters), because sunlight at Jupiter is so weak.

Congress at first required the mission to launch on the Space Launch System; after NASA’s Inspector General reported in 2019 that no SLS would be available before 2025, NASA bought a Falcon Heavy launch for about $178 million in 2021. Europa Clipper launched on October 14, 2024.

After flying past Mars in 2025 and Earth on December 3, 2026, it will reach Jupiter in April 2030. To limit its exposure to Jupiter’s intense radiation it will orbit the planet and pass close to Europa 49 times, with all nine instruments operating on every pass.

Read more about Europa Clipper

• Voyager to Dragonfly: fifty years of flying to the outer solar systemTwo 1977 probes beyond the Sun’s bubble, New Horizons past Pluto, Juno at Jupiter, Europa Clipper en route and a rotorcraft being built for Titan: what each found or seeks, what each cost, where each stands in October 2026.