Europa, one of the four Galilean satellites, is a rocky world masquerading as an icy moon. Past missions to the Jupiter system have hinted at a global ocean of liquid water under the ice, kept warm by intense tidal forces. Could the ocean hold the ingredients for life? Answering this question is the goal of NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, launching this October. As the first mission fully dedicated to an outer planet satellite, Europa Clipper will reveal the nature of this enigmatic world in unprecedented detail, and pave the way for a future landed mission.
The program will be livestreamed on the Kopernik YouTube Channel.