Jupiter's unusual icy moon Europa may be one of the best places in the solar system to explore
On Friday of last week, NASA managementannounced that it has selected SpaceX to launch a mission to the Jupiter moon. Launch is scheduled for October 2024 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The contract value is approximately $178 million.
Europa Clipper will try to determine if Jupiter's moon can be a living medium.
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“Main mission goals – Creationhigh-resolution images of Europa's surface, determining its composition, searching for signs of recent or ongoing geological activity, measuring the thickness of the ice shell to find underground lakes and determine the depth and salinity of Europa's waters, – NASA said.
SpaceX works with NASA in many ways,including the delivery of astronauts to and from the International Space Station, the delivery of cargo to the ISS, and the development of a landing system for returning astronauts to the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
NASA Space Launch System, Artemis,intended for lunar missions, was linked to the launch of the Europa Clipper, but last year the space agency opened up the possibility of using a commercial supplier. Well, congratulations to Elon Musk, as Falcon Heavy will be honored to launch an exciting mission.
Source: nasa
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