Even as Florida works to clean up and assess damage after Hurricane Milton swept through the state, NASA's eyeing the possibility of getting quickly back to the business of launching rockets with the long anticipated Europa Clipper mission.
The spacecraft atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket could launch as soon as 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 14, from Kennedy Space Center.
NASA's initial assessment determined there was minor damage to the spaceport, and as of Friday morning, NASA was conducting a deep inspection into Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island facilities. Timing will all depend on the damage found during this assessment. For the latest updates, go to floridatoday.com/space.
This mission is going to one of Jupiter's moons, Europa, requiring the services of a big Falcon Heavy. Jupiter is 480 million miles from Earth and the planets need to be in a good position to shorten travel. The spacecraft only has so much fuel it can carry, and NASA needs to make use of timing and position in coordinating the best launch window.
Opportunities to launch extend through Nov. 6.
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What is NASA's Europa Clipper?
Besides Earth, is there life in our solar system?
That’s what NASA’s Europa Clipper is seeking to discover. It will do so by observing Jupiter’s moon, Europa, for the ingredients that can support life – most likely as in microbial lifeforms.
Out of Jupiter’s 95 moons, why Europa? It is highly suspected that Europa is in the right place to support an ocean world underneath its icy surface.
According to NASA, Europa Clipper’s objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon’s icy surface and its interactions with an ocean below. Basically, this astrobiology mission will look into Europa's composition, seeking the ingredients needed to support life.
The mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
Trajectory of Europa Clipper
Europa Clipper will travel past Mars and then back towards Earth, using the planets’ gravity as a slingshot to add speed to the spacecraft’s trek toward Jupiter.
Still, Jupiter is far away and the spacecraft can only travel so fast. Europa Clipper will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) to reach Europa in April of 2030.
When it does reach the destination, it will orbit Jupiter and preform 49 close approaches to Europa − this is where the name "Clipper" comes into play. It will be using nine science instruments and a gravity experiment on these flybys.
When is SpaceX launching NASA's Europa Clipper?
Depending on severity of damage from Hurricane Milton, launch could be as soon as 12:12 p.m. Sunday. If that doesn't work, there are other opportunities in the coming week.
Next week's instantaneous launch windows are as follows:
- Monday, October 14 at 12:06 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 15 at 11:59 a.m.
- Wednesday, October 16 at 11:52 a.m.
- Thursday, October 17 at 11:45 a.m.
- Friday, October 18 at 11:38 a.m.
- Saturday, October 19 at 11:31 a.m.
Follow the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team to stay up to date on launches from the Space Coast.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars .
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA's Europa Clipper could launch Sunday atop of SpaceX Falcon Heavy from KSC
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