SpaceX To Launch NASA’s Biggest Spacecraft To Jupiter’s Moon Today; Here’s Where To Watch Live
NASA’s biggest spacecraft mission is taking off today. The Europa Clipper mission will be launched by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket at 9:35 pm IST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. A backup opportunity is available for the launch the next day at 9:28 pm.
Falcon Heavy is vertical at pad 39A in Florida ahead of tomorrow’s launch of @NASA ‘s Europa Clipper → pic.twitter.com/XYXDu52jy2
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024
Where to watch the launch live?
You can watch the launch live on SpaceX’s X profile. NASA will also stream the launch on its website, X and YouTube. NASA’s webcast on YouTube will begin at 8:30 pm IST.
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About the Europa Clipper mission
The Europa Clipper mission is meant to investigate Jupiter’s moon Europa and determine if the vast salty oceans beneath its icy crust are capable of harbouring life.
The spacecraft, which is the biggest NASA has ever built, will embark on a 5.5-year-long journey, covering a distance of about 1.8 billion. It measures about 30 metres or 100 feet long when fully deployed and weighs about 3,241 kg without propellant. Its weight will be 6,000 kg with propellant.
Clipper will conduct 49 close flybys of Europa and use its nine instruments to understand the nature of the ice shell and the ocean beneath it, along with the moon’s composition and geology. It will get as close as 25 kilometres to Europa’s surface for the investigation.
Europa, scientists believe, is the most promising location to find habitable locations in the solar system. Using Clipper’s cameras, spectrometres and magnetometers, NASA aims to unlock the secrets of its ocean and deep interior.
ALSO SEE: NASA’s Flying To An Ocean World. Its Spacecraft Is Giant.
(Image: NASA)
