Europa Clipper NASA launched the Clipper to explore Jupiter's moon Europa for factors that could support life. (more) Europa Clipper spacecraft Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/technology/Europa-Clipper Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Aman Kumar Aman Kumar is an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Aman Kumar Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Apr 9, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What are the Europa Clipper missionu2019s main objectives? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Europa Clipper mission aims to understand the icy shell covering Europau2019s surface, gain insights into the ocean that is thought to exist beneath the icy layer, and study the moonu2019s chemical composition and geology for signs of habitability." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How will the Europa Clipper explore Europa? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "It will make 49 close flybys of Europa, gathering visual and particle data with nine specialized instruments and checking for plumes from the subsurface ocean." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is unique about the Europa Clipperu2019s electronics vault? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "It features a tantalum plate engraved with sound-wave representations of the word for water spoken in 103 languages and with a poem by Ada Limu00F3n. The names of 2.6 million participants in NASAu2019s Message in a Bottle campaign are etched on a silicon chip placed on the back of the plate." } } ] } Top Questions What are the Europa Clipper mission’s main objectives? The Europa Clipper mission aims to understand the icy shell covering Europa’s surface, gain insights into the ocean that is thought to exist beneath the icy layer, and study the moon’s chemical composition and geology for signs of habitability.

　　How will the Europa Clipper explore Europa? It will make 49 close flybys of Europa, gathering visual and particle data with nine specialized instruments and checking for plumes from the subsurface ocean.

　　What is unique about the Europa Clipper’s electronics vault? It features a tantalum plate engraved with sound-wave representations of the word for water spoken in 103 languages and with a poem by Ada Limón. The names of 2.6 million participants in NASA’s Message in a Bottle campaign are etched on a silicon chip placed on the back of the plate.

　　Europa Clipper, robotic, solar-powered orbiter launched to Jupiter’s moon Europa by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on October 14, 2024. The spacecraft—at the time of its launch the largest developed by NASA for a planetary mission—aims to understand the nature of the icy shell covering Europa’s surface, gain insights into the ocean that is thought to exist beneath this icy layer, and study the moon’s chemical composition and geology to discover signs of habitability. Europa, one of the four large Galilean moons of the gas giant Jupiter, has a thick icy shell that may shelter a subsurface ocean—as ...(100 of 727 words)

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