NASA selects SpaceX for mission to Jupiter moon Europa
SpaceX
NASAon Friday said it had selectedSpaceXto launch a planned voyage toJupiter's icymoonEuropa, a huge win for Elon Musk's company as it sets its sights deeper into the solar system.
TheEuropaClippermissionwill launch in October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from the KennedySpaceCenter in Florida, with the total contract worth $178 million.
Themissionwas previously supposed to take off onNASA's ownSpaceLaunch System (SLS) rocket, which has been plagued by delays and cost overruns, with critics calling it a "jobs program" for the state of Alabama where much of the development work is taking place.
While SLS isn't yet operational, Falcon Heavy has deployed on both commercial and government missions since its maiden flight in 2018 when it carried Musk's own Tesla Roadster intospace.
It generates more than five million pounds of thrust (22 million Newtons) at liftoff, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft.
TheEuropaclipper orbiter will make about 40 to 50 close passes overEuropato determine whether the icymooncould harbor conditions suitable for life.
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Its payload will include cameras and spectrometers to produce high-resolution images and compositional maps of the surface and atmosphere, as well as radar to penetrate the ice layer to search for liquid water below.