NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is because of launch in October 2024 and head in the direction of Jupiter’s moon Europa, the place it’ll hunt for indicators that this icy satellite tv for pc could possibly be appropriate for all times.

The spacecraft gained’t orbit Europa when it arrives in 2030 – as an alternative, it’ll loop round Jupiter in a manner that can permit it to repeatedly zoom previous the moon at distances as shut as 25 kilometres from its floor.

“We’re going to get this actually complete evaluation of what Europa is like,” says Jennifer Scully at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Of the moon’s many mysteries, maybe a very powerful is the construction of its inside ocean and whether or not it could possibly be liveable. Whereas Clipper gained’t be capable to search for life itself, it’ll set the stage for future missions that might.