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a Tight Orbit 4 min read Discovery Alert: a 'Hot Neptune' in a Tight Orbit article4 days ago NASA Data Reveals Role of Green Spaces in Cooling Cities 5 min read NASA Data Reveals Role of Green Spaces in Cooling Cities article4 days ago Europa Clipper illustration 5 min read NASA's Europa Clipper: Millions of Miles Down, Instruments Deploying article5 days ago Back --------------------------------------------------------------------- Missions * Search All NASA Missions * A to Z List of Missions * Upcoming Launches and Landings * Spaceships and Rockets * Communicating with Missions * Artemis * James Webb Space Telescope * Hubble Space Telescope * International Space Station * OSIRIS-Rex Humans in Space * Why Go to Space * Astronauts * Commercial Space * Destinations * Spaceships and Rockets * Living in Space Earth & Climate * Explore Earth Science * Climate Change * Earth, Our Planet * Earth Science in Action * Earth Multimedia * Earth Data * Earth Science Researchers The Solar System * 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Professionals * Science for Everyone * Requests for Exhibits, Artifacts, or Speakers * STEM Engagement at NASA About NASA * NASA's Impacts * Centers and Facilities * Directorates * Organizations * People of NASA * Careers * Internships * Our History * Doing Business with NASA * Get Involved * Contact NASA en Espanol * Ciencia * Aeronautica * Ciencias Terrestres * Sistema Solar * Universo News & Events * All NASA News * Video Series on NASA+ * Podcasts * Blogs * Newsletters * Social Media * Media Resources * Events * Upcoming Launches & Landings * Virtual Guest Program Multimedia * NASA+ * Images * NASA Live * NASA Apps * Podcasts * Image of the Day * e-Books * Sounds and Ringtones * Interactives * STEM Multimedia Featured Sierra Space's LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat following a full-scale ultimate burst pressure test at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama 6 min read NASA's Commercial Partners Make Progress on Low Earth Orbit Projects article 5 days ago Europa Clipper illustration 5 min read NASA's Europa Clipper: Millions of Miles Down, Instruments Deploying article 5 days ago NASA, JAXA XRISM Mission Looks Deeply Into 'Hidden' Stellar System 4 min read NASA, JAXA XRISM Mission Looks Deeply Into 'Hidden' Stellar System article 5 days ago Highlights Sierra Space's LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat following a full-scale ultimate burst pressure test at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama 6 min read NASA's Commercial Partners Make Progress on Low Earth Orbit Projects article 5 days ago A close-up of a conduction chamber for testing the heat conduction properties of materials and equipment to be used in Artemis missions. 4 min read NASA Marshall Thermal Engineering Lab Provides Key Insight to Human Landing System article 1 week ago NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Nick Hague pedals on the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS), an 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In the background, there are aviation posters located on the wall and another subscale model on display that is yellow and red. 4 min read Destacado de la NASA: Felipe Valdez, un ingeniero inspirador article 1 month ago 5 min read NASA's Europa Clipper: Millions of Miles Down, Instruments Deploying Jet Propulsion Laboratory Nov 25, 2024 Article * * * * Contents * Boom Times * On the Radar * Instrument Checkout * Mars-Bound * More About Europa Clipper * News Media Contacts Europa Clipper illustration An artist's concept of NASA's Europa Clipper shows the spacecraft in silhouette against Europa's surface, with the magnetometer boom fully deployed at top and the antennas for the radar instrument extending out from the solar arrays. NASA/JPL-Caltech Headed to Jupiter's moon Europa, the spacecraft is operating without a hitch and will reach Mars in just three months for a gravity assist. NASA's Europa Clipper, which launched Oct. 14 on a journey to Jupiter's moon Europa, is already 13 million miles (20 million kilometers) from Earth. Two science instruments have deployed hardware that will remain at attention, extending out from the spacecraft, for the next decade -- through the cruise to Jupiter and the entire prime mission. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched it away from Earth's gravity, and now the spacecraft is zooming along at 22 miles per second (35 kilometers per second) relative to the Sun. Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) to arrive at Jupiter in 2030 and in 2031 will begin a series of 49 flybys, using a suite of instruments to gather data that will tell scientists if the icy moon and its internal ocean have the conditions needed to harbor life. For now, the information mission teams are receiving from the spacecraft is strictly engineering data (the science will come later), telling them how the hardware is operating. Things are looking good. The team has a checklist of actions the spacecraft needs to take as it travels deeper into space. Here's a peek: Boom Times Shortly after launch, the spacecraft deployed its massive solar arrays, which extend the length of a basketball court. Next on the list was the magnetometer's boom, which uncoiled from a canister mounted on the spacecraft body, extending a full 28 feet (8.5 meters). To confirm that all went well with the boom deployment, the team relied on data from the magnetometer's three sensors. Once the spacecraft is at Jupiter, these sensors will measure the magnetic field around Europa, both confirming the presence of the ocean thought to be under the moon's icy crust and telling scientists about its depth and salinity. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This animation shows how the boom of Europa Clipper's magnetometer deployed -- while the spacecraft was in flight -- to its full length of 28 feet (8.5 meters). NASA/JPL-Caltech On the Radar After the magnetometer, the spacecraft deployed several antennas for the radar instrument. Now extending crosswise from the solar arrays, the four high-frequency antennas form what look like two long poles, each measuring 57.7 feet (17.6 meters) long. Eight rectangular very-high-frequency antennas, each 9 feet (2.76 meters) long, were also deployed -- two on the two solar arrays. "It's an exciting time on the spacecraft, getting these key deployments done," said Europa Clipper project manager Jordan Evans of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "Most of what the team is focusing on now is understanding the small, interesting things in the data that help them understand the behavior of the spacecraft on a deeper level. That's really good to see." Instrument Checkout The remaining seven instruments will be powered on and off through December and January so that engineers can check their health. Several instruments, including the visible imager and the gas and dust mass spectrometers, will keep their protective covers closed for the next three or so years to guard against potential damage from the Sun during Europa Clipper's time in the inner solar system. Mars-Bound Once all the instruments and engineering subsystems have been checked out, mission teams will shift their focus to Mars. On March 1, 2025, Europa Clipper will reach Mars' orbit and begin to loop around the Red Planet, using the planet's gravity to gain speed. (This effect is similar to how a ball thrown at a moving train will bounce off the train in another direction at a higher speed.) Mission navigators already have completed one trajectory correction maneuver, as planned, to get the spacecraft on the precise course. At Mars, scientists plan to turn on the spacecraft's thermal imager to capture multicolored images of Mars as a test operation. They also plan to collect data with the radar instrument so engineers can be sure it's operating as expected. The spacecraft will perform another gravity assist in December 2026, swooping by Earth before making the remainder of the long journey to the Jupiter system. At that time, the magnetometer will measure Earth's magnetic field, calibrating the instrument. More About Europa Clipper Europa Clipper's three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon's icy shell and its interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission's detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet. Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Planetary Missions Program Office at Marshall executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, managed the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft. Find more information about Europa Clipper here: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper 8 Things to Know About Europa Clipper Europa Clipper Teachable Moment NASA's Europa Clipper Gets Its Giant Solar Arrays Kids Can Explore Europa With NASA's Space Place News Media Contacts Gretchen McCartney Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-287-4115 gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov Karen Fox / Molly Wasser NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov 2024-163 Share * * * * Details Last Updated Nov 25, 2024 Related Terms * Europa Clipper * Europa * Jet Propulsion Laboratory Explore More [1-pia26423-swim-phase-ii-reflection] 5 min read NASA Ocean World Explorers Have to Swim Before They Can Fly Article 1 week ago [e1-pia26471-curiosity-3000pixels] 5 min read NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Takes a Last Look at Mysterious Sulfur Article 2 weeks ago [1-dsoc-uplink] 4 min read Precision Pointing Goes the Distance on NASA Experiment Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions [topic-card] Humans in Space [topic-card] Climate Change [topic-card] Solar System [topic-card] NASA Logo National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. * About NASA's Mission Join Us * Home * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth & Climate * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * NASA en Espanol Follow NASA * * * * * More NASA Social Accounts * NASA Newsletters * Sitemap * For Media * Privacy Policy * FOIA * No FEAR Act * Office of the IG * Budget & Annual Reports * Agency Financial Reports * Contact NASA * Accessibility * Page Last Updated: Nov 25, 2024 * Page Editor: Naomi Hartono * Responsible NASA Official: Abigail Bowman