Goddard Engineering and Technology Directorate

Europa Clipper

Engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, prepare for a propellant tank to be inserted into the cylinder in the background at left. The cylinder is one of two that make up Europa Clipper’s propulsion module. Credit: NASA/GSFC Denny Henry
Engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, prepare for a propellant tank to be inserted into the cylinder in the background at left. The cylinder is one of two that make up Europa Clipper’s propulsion module. Credit: NASA/GSFC Denny Henry

What is NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft?

Europa Clipper is a robotic solar-powered spacecraft built to conduct the first detailed investigations of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter and make nearly 50 flybys of Europa to determine whether there are places below Europa’s surface that could support life.

With its solar arrays deployed, Europa Clipper spans more than 100 feet (about 30 meters) – about the length of a basketball court. The main body of the spacecraft consists of its avionics vault, radiofrequency module, and propulsion module.

At launch, Europa Clipper will weigh approximately 13,000 pounds (6,000 kilograms). Almost half of the weight will be fuel – nearly 6,000 pounds (2,750 kilograms) of propellant.

Europa Clipper will launch in October 2024 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft will fly by Mars, then back by Earth, using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum. These so-called “gravity assists” will provide Europa Clipper with the velocity needed to reach Jupiter in 2030…

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