NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Europa mission, which NASA has planned for a long time and finally finalized in 2019, has now finally determined the specific launch details. In the final competition, SpaceX defeated Boeing again, and their Falcon Heavy will become the launch rocket for the Europa Clipper probe. According to current arrangements, the mission will be launched on launch pad 39 at the Kennedy Space Center in October 2024. If all goes well, the probe will reach the ring wood orbit in April 2030.
The “Europa Clippers” will try to explore whether there are conditions suitable for life on Europa. Its tasks include “taking high-resolution photos of the satellite’s surface, determining the composition, and looking for signs of recent or ongoing geological activities. , Measuring the thickness of the ice surface, exploring the underground lake, and measuring the depth and salinity of the ice sea, etc.”.
The main reason why NASA chose SpaceX to cooperate is the cost of launch. The contract amount between the two parties is only about 178 million U.S. dollars. If NASA uses its own SLS rocket to launch as originally recommended by Congress, the cost may reach as high as 2 billion U.S. dollars. Not only that, the use of SLS requires the gravitational boost of Venus on the way, which will further increase the flight distance. In addition, from the perspective of the launch window, SLS may focus more on returning to the moon mission, and the Europa mission has to give way.