Source: New York Times
“NASA’s first mission to Jupiter in more than a decade launched on Monday. This time, the object of investigation is not the giant planet itself, but one of its moons: Europa. This Jovian satellite possesses an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy shell, and many scientists think it is the most promising place to look for life elsewhere in the solar system. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. Eastern time, lifting the Europa Clipper spacecraft into orbit around Earth. About 47 minutes after launch, the rocket’s upper stage fired again to begin pushing the spacecraft away from Earth into orbit around the sun before deploying the spacecraft.” (10/14/24)