Start misji Europa Clipper na Europę

14 października po godzinie 18 polskiego czasu, rakieta Falcon Heavy wyniosła sondę NASA Europa Clipper. Europa Clipper to pierwsza w historii misja mająca na celu zbadanie księżyca Jowisza – Europy. Już teraz mamy dowody na możliwość istnienia tam życia, a jego poszukiwanie jest głównym celem badań.

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice, formerly JUICE) is an interplanetary spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and on its way to orbit and study three icy moons of Jupiter: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. These planetary-mass moons are planned to be studied because they are thought to have significant bodies of liquid water beneath their frozen surfaces, which would make them potentially habitable for extraterrestrial life. Juice is the first interplanetary spacecraft to the outer Solar System planets not launched by the United States and the first set to orbit a moon other than Earth's Moon. Launched by ESA, from Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on 14 April 2023, with Airbus Defence and Space as the main contractor, it is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031 after four gravity assists and eight years of travel. In December 2034, the spacecraft will enter...