NASA’s mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa launches successfully

A NASA spacecraft embarked on a mission on Monday to explore Jupiter’s intriguing moon. Europa, in hopes of uncovering whether its vast hidden ocean might offer clues to the existence of life.

Europa Clipper will take 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter, where it will enter orbit around the gas giant and conduct dozens of flybys of Europa, braving intense radiation.

Scientists are confident that a deep global ocean lies beneath Europa’s icy shell. With water often considered a key to life, Europa is regarded as one of the most promising places in the search for extraterrestrial life.

The Europa Clipper isn’t designed to detect life directly. Instead, it will focus on identifying the building blocks essential for life, such as organic compounds, and look beneath the ice for conditions that could support life.