NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, set to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, will commence with a launch on October 10 using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. After a journey spanning 1.8 billion miles, the spacecraft aims to investigate Europa’s subsurface ocean and its potential for life, marking it NASA’s largest planetary mission.
NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Europa Clipper, the agency’s mission to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. NASA is targeting launch at 12:31 p.m. EDT Thursday, October 10, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Beyond Earth, Jupiter’s moon Europa is considered one of the solar system’s most promising potentially habitable environments. After an approximately 1.8-billion-mile journey, Europa Clipper will enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030, where the spacecraft will conduct a detailed survey of Europa to determine whether the icy world could have conditions suitable for life. Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It carries a suite of nine instruments along with a gravity experiment that will investigate an ocean beneath Europa’s surface, which scientists believe contains twice as much liquid water as Earth’s oceans.
For a schedule of live events and the platforms they’ll stream on, visit:
https://go.nasa.gov/europaclipperlive
NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Tuesday, October 8
1 p.m. – In-person, one-on-one interviews, open to media credentialed for this launch.
3:30 p.m. – NASA’s Europa Clipper science briefing with the following participants:
- Gina DiBraccio, acting director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters
- Robert Pappalardo, project scientist, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
- Haje Korth, deputy project scientist, Europa Clipper, Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
- Cynthia Phillips, project staff scientist, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
Coverage of the science news conference will stream live on NASA+ and the agency’s website, Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
Wednesday, October 9
2 p.m. – NASA Social panel at NASA Kennedy with the following participants:
- David Grinspoon, senior scientist for Astrobiology Strategy, NASA Headquarters
- Caley Burke, flight design analyst, NASA’s Launch Services Program
- Erin Leonard, project staff scientist, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
- Juan Pablo León, systems testbed engineer, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
- Elizabeth Turtle, principal investigator, Europa Imaging System instrument, Europa Clipper, APL
The panel will stream live on NASA Kennedy’s YouTube, X, and Facebook accounts. Members of the public may ask questions online by posting to the YouTube, X, and Facebook live streams or using #AskNASA.
3:30 p.m. – NASA’s Europa Clipper prelaunch news conference (following completion of the Launch Readiness Review), with the following participants:
- NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
- Sandra Connelly, deputy associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Tim Dunn, launch director, NASA’s Launch Services Program
- Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science Missions, SpaceX
- Jordan Evans, project manager, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
- Mike McAleenan, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force
Coverage of the prelaunch news conference will stream live on NASA+, the agency’s website, the NASA app, and YouTube.
5:30 p.m. – NASA’s Europa Clipper rollout show. Coverage will stream live on NASA+, the agency’s website, the NASA app, and YouTube.
Thursday, October 10
11:30 a.m. – NASA launch coverage in English begins on NASA+ and the agency’s website.
11:30 a.m. – NASA launch coverage in Spanish begins on NASA+, the agency’s website and NASA’s Spanish YouTube channel.
12:31 p.m. – Launch
Audio Only Coverage
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240 or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” countdown activities without NASA+ media launch commentary, is carried on 321-867-7135.
Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch
NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A approximately 18 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the mission on the NASA Kennedy newsroom YouTube channel. The feed will be uninterrupted until the launch broadcast begins on NASA+.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include links to live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 10 a.m., Oct. 10, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.
Follow countdown coverage on the Europa Clipper blog. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: [email protected] o Messod Bendayan: [email protected]
Attend the Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.
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