Europa Clipper: NASA probe apparently passes transistor tests
Liquid water is suspected under a thick ice crust on Jupiter's moon Europa. A new probe is to provide more precise findings.
Artist's impression of a flyby of Jupiter's moon Europa by NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft. Jupiter can be seen in the background.
(Image: NASA)
A NASA probe mission to Jupiter's moon Europa is back on schedule. According to the US space agency, Europa Clipper is scheduled to lift off on Thursday, October 10. The planned launch window will then open. Extensive tests of transistors that control the flow of electricity in the spacecraft were recently completed. Doubts had previously arisen as to whether the on-board electronics were really up to the demands of the mission. According to NASA, a further decision is due on Monday, September 9, as to whether the project is really ready for launch and whether further preparatory steps can be taken.
Among other things, the transistor tests focused on whether Europa Clipper can withstand the high levels of radiation around Jupiter. Doubts had previously arisen in May because some parts failed during tests even at lower radiation doses. The Jupiter system is considered particularly dangerous for spacecraft. Jupiter's magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than that of the Earth. This results in intense radiation, which also affects Jupiter's moons and can damage the on-board electronics of probes.
Ocean suspected to be 100 kilometers deep
Europa Clipper is due to reach Jupiter in 2030. By 2034, the probe is to fly past the moon Europa 50 times and investigate whether the conditions for life are met. Among other things, Europa Clipper will take photos of the surface. Modern measuring instruments should be able to detect traces of life. An ocean of water around 100 kilometers deep is thought to lie beneath an ice shell several kilometers thick. The mission could also provide information for possible future landing sites, for example to examine Europa more closely with the help of a diving robot.
The probe is to be launched into space by a Falcon Heavy rocket from SpaceX. According to the order volume, the launch will cost 178 million US dollars.
ESA also launched a probe mission
Europa is one of Jupiter's four largest moons and was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei with the aid of a telescope. NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 probes provided the first precise images of the moon's surface in 1979. Further findings were made with the Galileo mission, which began in 1995 and explored Jupiter and its moons for eight years. In addition to NASA, the European Space Agency ESA also wants to study Jupiter's moons in more detail. To this end, the Juice probe was launched into space in April 2023, which recently gained momentum during a flyby of Earth.
(mki)