Clipper spacecraft has been successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft was launched on Monday, October 14, by SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. NASA is conducting this mission to find out whether Jupiter's moon Europa is suitable for life.
Clipper Voyager
NASA scientists had long ago planned to send a spacecraft to Europa. But due to various mechanical errors, this mission was delayed several times. Finally the spacecraft was successfully launched. It carried with it poems by American poet Ada Limon, the names of millions of people and recordings of the word 'water' in 103 languages.
According to scientists, Europa is likely to have a deep ocean. Because Europa has a thick layer of ice beneath its surface. It looks a lot like the sea ice covered in the polar regions of the world. There are deep chasms in the gaps between the ice. Therefore, scientists think, there may be life.
Scientists have reported the possibility of a 60-mile-deep ocean beneath the ice. If there really is such a deep ocean on Europa, it would be 10 times deeper than the deepest ocean on Earth. NASA's mission is to be sure whether there is actually an ocean or life there.
Another goal of this mission is to find habitable places on Europa. For that, the ice surface will be tested in this mission. Surface properties will be determined by investigating the composition of Europa's surface. If even a simple bacterium is found on the satellite, it will be a huge achievement for mankind.