10 Things To Know About NASA Mission Flying To Jupiter's Icy Moon

Source: See here

Headlines:

The mission will take approximately 5 and a half years to reach Jupiter, covering 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometres). To conserve fuel, Europa Clipper will use gravity assists from Mars and Earth to accelerate its path toward the gas giant, with arrival expected in 2030.

Europa Clipper will navigate one of the harshest radiation environments in our solar system, second only to the Sun. Jupiter⁘s magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than Earth⁘s, making radiation protection a critical part of the mission. The spacecraft will be equipped with a vault to shield its electronics from the radiation, NASA has said.

According to the space agency, the spacecraft will carry nine science instruments, including tools to study the moon⁘s interior, composition, and geology. These instruments will work together during each flyby, layering data to provide a comprehensive understanding of Europa⁘s potential habitability.

#news