Europa Clipper: the first NASA mission specially dedicated to exploring Jupiter’s moon Europa and its subsurface ocean. The mission is a part of NASA’s program “Ocean Worlds,” where it dedicates a number of missions to study bodies full of water in the solar system.
The launch is determined to be in the 2020s, but the exact date hasn’t been announced yet. The spacecraft is an orbiter and it will make about 45 flybys around Europa. In order to scan the whole Moon, the spacecraft’s orbits will vary in altitude, from 2,700 kilometers to 25 kilometers (1,675 miles to 16 miles) above the surface of Europa.
Europa Clipper is going to be equipped with two 22 meters (72 feet) solar panels, and to shield against Jupiter’s radiation field, electronics and instruments onboard Europa Clipper are protected by a titanium and aluminum vault.
All Image Source: and Credit NASA