NASA's Europa Clipper mission on Jupiter's Icy Moon eliminates the big hurdle on its way to launch

A highly anticipated NASA mission on Jupiter's moon, which could be vital Europa remains on track for a launch in mid-2020.

NASA has erased the Europa Clipper Mission move to the final design phase, then to the construction and testing of space vehicles, announced agency officials yesterday (August 19).

"We are all excited about the decision that will make the Europa Clipper mission a decisive step towards uncovering the mysteries of this ocean world," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate director of the Science Mission Directorate at the headquarters of NASA in Washington, DC. said in a statement.

Related: Photos: Europa, the mysterious frozen moon of Jupiter

"We rely on scientific knowledge received from the flagship Galileo and Cassini vessels and work to improve our understanding of our cosmic origin, and even of life elsewhere," Zurbuchen said, referring to NASA's probes of gravity respectively. around Jupiter and Saturn.

The Europa spans 3 120 kilometers wide huge ocean of liquid water under its icy shell. Scientists believe that this water is in contact with the rock core of the moon, allowing for a range of interesting chemical reactions. Astrobiologists therefore consider the Europa as one of the best choices of the solar system for hosting extraterrestrial life.

Europa Clipper will not look for signs of life, but the probe will attempt to measure the livability of the moon. The spacecraft orbiting Jupiter will characterize the lunar ocean during dozens of overflights and will collect various other data, including searching for good poses for a potential landing gear mission in search of airplanes. a life.

If all goes according to plan, Clipper will be launched in 2023 or 2025, announced NASA officials. Congress has asked NASA to launch the spaceship at the top of the agency Space launch system (SLS) megarocket, which is still in development.

The first flight of SLS is currently scheduled for 2020. This unprepared mission, called Artemis 1, will send NASA's Orion capsule to explore the moon.

Mike Wall's book on the search for extraterrestrial life, "Over there"(Grand Central Publishing, 2018, illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.