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full screen The spacecraft is expected to reach the frozen moon Europa only in five and a half years. Photo: John Raoux/AP/TT
On Monday, the American space agency NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft was sent up from Florida in the United States with the destination Jupiter’s frozen moon. The craft is expected to reach the moon, named Europa, only in five and a half years.
On site, one must investigate whether the moon has an ocean under its ice-covered surface.
“With Europa Clipper, we’re not looking for life on Europa, but we’re trying to see if this ocean world is habitable, and that means we’re looking for water,” NASA official Gina DiBraccio said before the launch.
“We’re looking for energy sources, and we’re investigating the chemistry there, so we can understand what habitable environments might exist throughout our universe,” she added.
The spacecraft is the heaviest NASA built for a similar mission.