Under bright skies, the spacecraft, named Europa Clipper, was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
The fatal Hurricane Milton that hit the US state last week had caused a few-day delay in its launch.
Determining whether there are areas beneath the moon’s surface that could support life is the mission’s primary scientific objective.
The 40–100 mile deep salty liquid water ocean that lies beneath Europa’s thick 10-15 mile frozen shell has caught the attention of scientists. Additionally, life may exist wherever there is water.
The robotic, solar-powered spacecraft, which is carrying nine scientific equipment, is scheduled to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030 after a journey of 1.8 billion miles over around five and a half years.
Over the course of three years, it will conduct 49 near flybys of Europa to collect precise measurements for the moon’s investigation.
Approximately the size of a basketball court, the probe will fly as low as 16 miles above the surface, passing over a different spot each time to scan almost the whole moon.
Instead than seeking life, it will concentrate on the elements required to support life, looking for organic compounds and other hints while using radar to scan the ice for favorable circumstances.
