NASA’s first mission to another ocean world in our solar system will blast toward Jupiter on Monday (October 14), but if you want to watch it live, you’ll need to know the right time to tune in.
Europa Clipper, a $5 billion NASA mission to study the salty ocean beneath the ice of Jupiter’s moon Europa, will blast off on Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Takeoff is set for 12:06 PM EDT (1606 GMT) From Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“Clipper is NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying the ocean world beyond Earth,” NASA associate administrator Jim Frey told reporters at a news conference on Sunday evening (October 13). Europa has long been on scientists’ shortlist of the most promising places that could support life beyond Earth. Frye said that the Europa Clipper probe aims to understand the habitability of the icy moon. Here’s when and how to watch the launch of the Europe Clipper mission online.
What is the launch time of Europa Clipper?
NASA is currently targeting Monday 14 October, 12:06 PM EDT (1606 GMT) To launch the Europe Clipper mission on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission will have a 15-second launch window for liftoff, and SpaceX aims to eliminate that window. There is a 95% chance that the weather will be good at launch.
SpaceX had initially aimed to launch the Europa Clipper on October 10, but postponed the flight due to the approaching Hurricane Milton, which tore through Florida in the days before that launch attempt, leaving millions without power across the state. The storm destroyed some parts of the Kennedy Space Center, but the center opened a few days later to resume preparations for the Europa Clipper launch.
“The SpaceX and NASA teams did a great job keeping the hardware safe,” Frye said at the press conference, adding that his heart goes out to everyone affected by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helen that preceded it.
Can I watch the Europe Clipper launch online?
Yes, you will be able to watch the Europe Clipper launch online. In fact, you have many choices about where to listen.
NASA will offer a free English-language webcast of the launch on its website NASA+ streaming serviceas well as that NASA page on YouTubeStarting at 11 a.m. EST (1500 GMT). Spacec.com will simulcast this live stream On our VideoFromSpace channel on YouTubeas well as on our home page and at the top of this page.
NASA will also present Alternative feed in Spanish on NASA+ To date the task.
Meanwhile, SpaceX may offer its own live stream of Europa Clipper’s launch aboard its Falcon Heavy rocket Via her page Xalthough the company is currently referring viewers to NASA’s live stream.
How long is the Europa Clipper mission?
From start to finish, NASA’s Europa Clipper is currently expected to last approximately 10 years, with the first 5.5 years spent voyaging to Jupiter and Europa. However, the launch should take just over one hour from liftoff to deployment of the spacecraft, followed by a six-hour process to deploy its solar arrays.
If all goes well, Europa Clipper will swing by Mars in March 2025 and then Earth in December 2026 to get gravitational boosts from each planet. These encounters will put the probe on track to reach Jupiter on April 11, 2030. The mission is overseen by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Once the spacecraft reaches Jupiter, it will spend the next four years making a series of flybys from Europa to study the moon’s icy ocean using a suite of nine different instruments and experiments, all aimed at understanding the salty water ocean beneath. Moon surface. A radar will probe the depths of this ocean, while other instruments will measure the water columns detected on Europa by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA officials said there are, of course, camera images that Clipper will take of Europa.
“Although we will not be searching for other life, Europa could contain the ingredients for life as we know it: water, organic matter, chemical energy and stability,” Frye said. “What we discover in Europe will have profound implications for the study of astrobiology and how we view our place in the universe.”
While its primary mission is scheduled to end by June 2034, it is possible that NASA will extend the Europa Clipper mission beyond that year depending on the health of the spacecraft.
Here’s a look at the launch countdown and deployment schedule for Europa Clipper of its Falcon Heavy rocket. Unlike previous Falcon Heavy launches, SpaceX will not attempt to recover the first stage or side boosters on this flight in order to get as much performance as possible from the boosters. SpaceX said Europa Clipper is the size of a tennis court with its solar arrays deployed, making it NASA’s largest planetary probe to date.
“Falcon Heavy is giving Europe Clipper everything it has, sending the spacecraft to the furthest destination it has ever been sent, which means the mission requires maximum performance, so we won’t be able to recover the boosters tomorrow,” said Juliana Schiemann, NASA’s science director. The SpaceX missions at SpaceX told reporters on Sunday. “I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t think of a better mission to sacrifice boosters for, because we might have a chance to discover life in our solar system. How cool would that be?”
| Time (hour/minute/second) | It happened | Header cell – column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| T-00:53:00 | Launch Director “Go” to refuel | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:50:00 | The first stage of refueling the RP-1 aircraft begins | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:45:00 | The first stage of liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:35:00 | The second stage of fueling the RP-1 aircraft begins | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:18:30 | The second stage of LOX loading | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:07:00 | Falcon heavy engine idling | Row 5 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:59 | Final pre-launch checks of the flight computer | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:45 | Launch Director “Go” to launch | Row 7 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:20 | Fuel tanks squeeze for launch | Row 8 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:06 | The engine ignition sequence begins | Row 9 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:00 | Take off! | Row 10 – cell 2 |
| Time (hour/minute/second) | It happened | Header cell – column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| T+00:01:07 | Max S | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:03:03 | Side booster motor parts | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:03:07 | Side reinforcements are separate | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:04:02 | The first stage – cutting off the main engine | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:04:06 | Phase separation | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:04:13 | Run the second stage engine | Row 5 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:04:31 | Disposal of payload | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:07:53 | Second stage motor cut-off 1 | Row 7 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:47:40 | Restart the engine for the second stage | Row 8 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:50:56 | Engine cut-off in the second stage (final) | Row 9 – Cell 2 |
| T+01:02:12 | Europe Clipper is spreading | Row 10 – cell 2 |
What if Europe Clipper can’t launch on October 14?
If SpaceX can’t launch NASA’s Europe Clipper spacecraft on October 14, the company has at least two more chances this week.
SpaceX’s first backup launch date has been set Tuesday, October 15, 11:59 AM EST (1559 GMT)Weather forecasts indicate a 95% chance of good conditions at launch, according to the US Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron. If SpaceX and NASA have to wait another day, they can attempt to launch the Europa Clipper Wednesday, October 16, 11:52 AM EST (1552 GMT) The launch window moves earlier each day. There is an 80% chance of good launch conditions on Wednesday.
In fact, NASA and SpaceX could launch the Europa Clipper Any day until November 6 The spacecraft still arrives in the Jupiter system by April 11, 2030.
“So each launch window date ultimately changes the date that we assist gravity on Mars and assist gravity on Earth,” said Jordan Evans, Europa Clipper project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “But otherwise, all paths reach Jupiter on April 11, 2030.”
Editor’s note: Visit Space.com on October 14 for complete coverage of the Europe Clipper mission.
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