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NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft today began its six-year cruise to the Jupiter system, with the goal of determining whether one of the giant planet\u2019s moons has the right stuff in the right setting for life.<\/p>\n
The van-sized probe was sent into space from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at 12:06 p.m. ET (16:06 UTC). A little more than an hour after launch, the spacecraft separated from its launch vehicle to begin a roundabout journey of 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) from Earth orbit to Europa.<\/p>\n
For decades, scientists have been collecting evidence that Europa harbors a hidden ocean of salty water beneath its icy shell. Or are they hidden lakes? Europa Clipper is built to characterize the moon\u2019s surface, and what\u2019s beneath that surface, to an unprecedented degree.<\/p>\n
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