NASA’s first mission to another ocean world in our solar system is scheduled to launch toward Jupiter on Monday (October 14), but if you want to watch it live, you’ll need to know when to tune in.
Europa Clipper, a $5 billion NASA mission to study the salty ocean beneath the ice of Jupiter’s moon Europa, is scheduled to launch Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Liftoff is set. 12:06 PM EDT (1606 GMT) At NASA’s Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“Clipper is the first NASA spacecraft dedicated to studying ocean worlds beyond Earth,” NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Free told reporters at a briefing Sunday evening (October 13). Europa has long been on scientists’ list of the most promising places to support life beyond Earth. The Europa Clipper probe aims to understand how habitable the icy moon really is, Free said. Here’s when and how to watch the Europa Clipper mission launch online.
When will the Europa Clipper be released?
NASA is currently targeting this. Monday, October 14, 12:06 PM EDT (1606 GMT) The Europa Clipper mission launches on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission has a 15-second launch window for liftoff, and SpaceX is targeting the end of that window of opportunity. There is a 95% chance that the weather will be good at launch.
SpaceX had originally targeted the Europa Clipper launch on October 10, but postponed the flight due to the approach of Hurricane Milton. Hurricane Milton tore through Florida in the days leading up to the launch attempt, leaving millions without power across the state. The storm damaged portions of Kennedy Space Center, but the center opened a few days later to resume preparations for the Europa Clipper launch.
“The SpaceX and NASA teams have done a great job keeping the hardware safe,” Free said at the briefing. He added that his heart goes out to everyone affected by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene.
Can I watch the Europa Clipper launch online?
Yes, you can watch the Europa Clipper launch online. You actually have a few options for where to tune.
NASA will provide a free webcast of this launch in English. NASA+ streaming serviceas well as its NASA YouTube PageIt starts at 11 AM EDT (1500 GMT). Spacec.com will simulcast this live stream. On the VideoFromSpace YouTube ChannelIt’s also on our homepage and at the top of this page.
NASA also Alternative Spanish feed from NASA+ To record missions.
Meanwhile, SpaceX may offer its own live stream of the Europa Clipper launch atop its Falcon Heavy rocket. via pageHowever, the company is now recommending NASA live streams to viewers.
How long will the Europa Clipper mission take?
NASA’s Europa Clipper is currently expected to last nearly 10 years from start to finish, with the first 5.5 years spent on voyages to Jupiter and Europa. But the launch will take just over an hour from liftoff to deployment of the spacecraft, and six hours to deploy the solar array.
If all goes well, Europa Clipper will travel to Mars in March 2025 and visit Earth in December 2026, receiving gravitational boosts from each planet. This encounter will put the probe on track to reach Jupiter on April 11, 2030. The mission is overseen by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Once at Jupiter, the spacecraft will spend the next four years flying close to Europa, studying the moon’s icy ocean through nine different instruments and experiments. All of this work aims to understand the saltwater ocean below. lunar surface. Radar probes the depths of the ocean, while other instruments measure the giant water vapor detected on Europa by the Hubble Space Telescope. And, of course, there are camera images that Clipper will take of Europa, NASA officials said.
“We may not be looking for other life, but Europa may have the building blocks of life as we know it, including water, organic matter, chemical energy and stability,” Free said. “Our discovery of Europa will have profound implications for astrobiological research and how we view our place in the universe.”
The main mission is scheduled to end by June 2034, but NASA may extend the Europa Clipper mission beyond that year, depending on the spacecraft’s condition.
Here’s a look at the launch countdown and schedule for deploying the Europa Clipper from the Falcon Heavy rocket. Unlike past Falcon Heavy launches, SpaceX will not attempt to recover the first stage or side boosters for this flight in order to get as much performance from the boosters as possible. Europa Clipper is NASA’s largest planetary probe, with solar panels the size of a tennis court spread out, SpaceX said.
“Falcon Heavy provides everything for Europa Clipper to send the spacecraft to its most remote destinations, which means we won’t be recovering the booster tomorrow as the mission requires maximum performance,” said Julianna Scheiman, NASA science mission director for SpaceX. . SpaceX told reporters Sunday. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better mission than sacrificing a booster because we might have a chance at discovering life in our solar system. How cool would that be?”
| Time (Hour/Minute/Second) | event | Header Cell – Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| T-00:53:00 | Launch director ‘go’ for fuel delivery | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:50:00 | Stage 1 RP-1 refueling begins | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:45:00 | Step 1 Liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:35:00 | Stage 2 RP-1 refueling begins | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:18:30 | Step 2 LOX loading | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:07:00 | Falcon Heavy Engine Cooling | Row 5 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:59 | Final pre-launch check of flight computer | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:45 | Launching director ‘go’ released | Row 7 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:20 | The propellant tank is pressurized for launch. | Row 8 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:06 | Start engine ignition sequence | Row 9 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:00 | take-off! | Row 10 – Cell 2 |
| Time (Hour/Minute/Second) | event | Header Cell – Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| T+00:01:07 | Max Q | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:03:03 | Side booster engine cut off | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:03:07 | Side booster separate | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:04:02 | Stage 1 Main engine shutdown | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:04:06 | stage separation | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:04:13 | 2nd stage engine start | Row 5 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:04:31 | Payload Pairing Jettison | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:07:53 | Stage 2 Engine Shutoff 1 | Row 7 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:47:40 | Step 2 Engine restart | Row 8 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:50:56 | Stage 2 Engine Shutdown (Final) | Row 9 – Cell 2 |
| T+01:02:12 | Europa Clipper Deployment | Row 10 – Cell 2 |
What if Europa Clipper can’t be released on October 14th?
If SpaceX can’t launch NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft on October 14, there will be at least two more opportunities this week.
SpaceX’s first backup launch date is as follows: Tuesday, October 15, 11:59 AM EDT (1559 GMT)According to the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Meteorological Squadron, weather forecasts indicate a 95% chance that conditions will be favorable at launch. If SpaceX and NASA have to wait another day, they could attempt a Europa Clipper launch. Wednesday, October 16, 11:52 AM EDT (1552 GMT) Because time to market gets faster every day. There is an 80% chance of good launch conditions on Wednesday.
In fact, NASA and SpaceX could launch the Europa Clipper. Every day until November 6th And the spacecraft must be sent to the Jupiter system by April 11, 2030.
“So each day in the launch window will change the date on which we perform gravity assistance on Mars and the date on which we perform gravity assistance on Earth,” said Jordan Evans, Europa Clipper project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. . “But all other trajectories will arrive at Jupiter on April 11, 2030.”
Editor’s note: For complete coverage of the Europa Clipper mission, visit Space.com on October 14, 2024.
