With its massive solar arrays and radar antennas, Europa Clipper will be the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. Europa Clipper’s main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life.
With its massive solar arrays and radar antennas, Europa Clipper will be the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. Europa Clipper’s main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life.
The mission’s three main science objectives are to understand the nature of the ice shell and the ocean beneath it, along with the moon’s composition and geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft will perform dozens of close flybys of Jupiter’s moon Europa, gathering detailed measurements to investigate the moon. The spacecraft, in orbit around Jupiter, will make nearly 50 flybys of Europa at closest-approach altitudes as low as 16 miles (25 kilometers) above the surface, soaring over a different location during each flyby to scan nearly the entire moon.
Related Publications
2026.
"Characterization of Europa’s Interior Through Synthesis of Europa Clipper Data.",
The Planetary Science Journal,
[Journal Article/Letter]
2026.
"Geodetic Investigations of the Europa Clipper Mission.",
Space Science Reviews,
[Journal Article/Letter]
2025.
"Plume Activity on Europa: Current Knowledge and Search Strategy for Europa Clipper.",
The Planetary Science Journal,
6
(8):
182
[10.3847/psj/adea6a]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2025.
"The effect of the Io plasma torus on precise orbit determination and gravity recovery. Application to Europa Clipper.",
The Planetary Science Journal,[Full Text]
[10.3847/PSJ/add012]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2025.
"Long-Distance Ranging and Velocity Measurements by REASON on Europa Clipper .",
Icarus,[Full Text]
[10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116585]
[Journal Article/Letter]
