NASA launches Europa Clipper to explore possibly habitable world off Jupiter
NASA successfully launched a vehicle meant to explore an ocean-covered world in our solar system and seek out the building blocks for life.
Once it reaches its destination, the Europa Clipper will examine the Jupiter’s moon Europa. That moon is almost entirely covered by a vast ocean underneath a crust of ice. Scientists have long speculated that the moon — which also boasts a thin but oxygen-rich atmosphere —could harbor simple lifeforms.
The Clipper is the end result of a $5.2 billion project that began in 2013.
