Scientists are searching for planets other than Earth in space where there is life. Over the years this search continues even today. US space agency NASA on Monday launched a new mission to search for life in space. NASA successfully launches spacecraft Europa Clipper from Florida to Jupiter's moon Europa. This vehicle has left for its mission 3 billion kilometers away. This spacecraft is the largest spacecraft built by NASA for any planetary mission. NASA said that if everything goes well, the spacecraft will enter the orbit of Jupiter by 2030.
The NASA team launched the spacecraft at 9:36 pm (Indian time) tonight from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In this mission, the spacecraft Europa Clipper will study Jupiter's icy moon Europa and search for life there. Apart from this, it will also obtain information about Europa's atmosphere and its surface. NASA Associate Administrator Jim Frey said that Europa may be one of the most suitable places in our solar system for a potentially habitable environment, so this mission is extremely important.
mission europa
According to NASA, Jupiter has 95 known moons. Europa is the fourth largest in this. Its diameter may be only a quarter of Earth's, but it likely holds more water than Earth. It contains vast oceans of salty water that may contain twice as much water as Earth's oceans. Europa has a diameter of approximately 1940 miles (3100 km), which is about 90% the diameter of Earth's moon. Scientists believe its ice cap is 10–15 miles (15–25 km) thick, lying over an ocean 40–100 miles (60–150 km) deep.
The spacecraft that NASA has sent to Europa is its largest spacecraft so far in any planetary mission. Its name is Europa Clipper. Its length is 100 feet (30.5 m) and width is about 58 feet (17.6 m). Its weight is approximately 13000 pounds (6000 kg). In this mission, Europa Clipper will travel about 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) and enter Jupiter's orbit in 2030. The spacecraft's launch was planned for last week, but the mission was postponed due to Hurricane Milton.
