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Space
Space
Science
Conor Feehly

Why NASA's Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's icy moon is such a big deal

Europa NASA Jupiter Io Earth Europa Clipper Ocean Venus
A spacecraft seen over a red-streaked world. Jupiter, a striped and swirly looking world, is in the background, offscreen.

In October this year, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch one of the most sophisticated spacecraft ever assembled. Its destination? Europa, Jupiter's fourth largest moon. 

The Europa Clipper mission, which aims to reach Europa by 2030, is stacked with a number of instruments that can help scientists understand the moon's complex geology and composition — ultimately, researchers want to use these tools to get a better idea of Europa's habitability. In other words, they want to learn whether this moon has favorable conditions for life to exist (life as we know it, at least). 

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