Europa Clipper: NASA spacecraft launches toward Jupiter in search for extraterrestrial life

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with a NASA spacecraft bound for Jupiter lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on Monday. Credit: AP

A NASA spacecraft has set off on a quest to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in a bid to see whether it could support life.

On Monday, the rocket - named the Europa Clipper - launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, where it will make a five and a half year journey to reach Jupiter.

The aim for the mission is to establish if a deep ocean exists beneath Europa’s icy crust, which could be a sign of life.

“Ocean worlds like Europa are not only unique because they might be habitable, but they might be habitable today," NASA's Gina DiBraccio said on the eve of launch.

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SpaceX started Clipper on its 1.8 million-mile (3 billion-kilometre) journey, after the launch faced a days-long delay after Hurricane Milton tore through the US last week.

It's route will see Clipper swing past Mars and then Earth on its way to Jupiter for gravity assists.

The probe should reach the solar system’s biggest planet in 2030.

From there, Clipper will circle Jupiter every 21 days. One of those days will bring it close to Europa, which is among 95 known moons at Jupiter.

The spacecraft will skim as low as 16 miles (25 kilometres) above Europa.

This illustration provided by NASA depicts the Europa Clipper spacecraft over the moon, Europa. Credit: AP

Onboard radar will attempt to penetrate the moon’s ice sheet, believed to be 10 miles to 15 miles or more (15 kilometres to 24 kilometres) thick.

The ocean below could be 80 miles (120 kilometres) or more deep.

Exploration will last until 2034.

If conditions are found to be favorable for life at Europa, then that opens up the possibility of life at other ocean worlds in our solar system and beyond, according to scientists.

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