NASA makes big leap forward; completes construction of Clipper probe's 'heart'

NASA has achieved a major milestone in its quest to understand our solar system as it has finished the construction of its Clipper spacecraft's main component. The probe will be launched to Jupiter’s Moon Europa in October 2024 in order to confirm if its oceans have conditions suitable for life forms to thrive. In a recent report, NASA revealed that the main body of the spacecraft has been shipped from the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) to the California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). According to the agency, teams at the JPL will now finish the rest of the assembly over the next two years. 

How big is the spacecraft?

( The main component of the Europa Clipper spacecraft; Image: NASA)

As you can see in the picture, the main body of the spacecraft, which recently completed its assembling, is as big as an SUV. It measures 10 feet tall and five feet wide and consists of an aluminum cylinder integrated with electronics, radios, thermal loop tubing, cabling, and the propulsion system. This component is very much the heart of the spacecraft as it contains two tanks that would power the engines to propel the probe toward its journey.

This would be the largest spacecraft ever developed by NASA for a planetary mission as after full completion, i.e. after the installation of solar arrays, it will grow as big as a basketball court. "It’s an exciting time for the whole project team and a huge milestone", Jordan Evans, the mission’s project manager at JPL said in a statement. "This delivery brings us one step closer to launch and the Europa Clipper science investigation". 

Purpose of the mission

The mission has a simple purpose, which is to monitor Europa's internal oceans and other features during the 50 flybys Clipper will conduct during its lifetime. Interestingly, Europa is said to harbour an ocean with twice the amount of water in Earth’s oceans combined beneath its icy surface. Equipped with nine science instruments, the probe will also monitor Europa’s atmosphere and surface to confirm the belief of scientists if Europa really has conditions suitable for life. After its launch in 2024, the spacecraft will undergo a six-year-long, 2.9-billion-kilometer journey before arriving at its destination and will begin operations in 2031.