NASA’s Europa Clipper Zooms Past Mars: A Bold Journey to Jupiter’s Mysterious Icy Moon

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft just made an important move, flying 550 miles (884 km) above Mars. This wasn’t just a quick visit—it was a clever strategy to use Mars’ gravity to change its course towards Jupiter’s moon, Europa.

Launched on October 14, 2024, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Europa Clipper is on a grand adventure covering 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers). The mission, costing $5.2 billion, aims to explore Europa, which might have an ocean hidden beneath its icy surface. Scientists think this ocean could be a place where life exists.

This spacecraft is impressive—it’s as long as a basketball court and features huge solar panels, making it one of NASA’s biggest planetary missions. Initially, it was designed with extra space around Mars to avoid any mishaps. But since everything was working perfectly, the mission team approved a precise flyby.

The flyby isn’t just for a closer look at Mars. It’s a gravitational assist that helps the spacecraft speed up and change direction without using extra fuel. By flying past Mars at just the right angle, the Europa Clipper gains some of Mars’ orbital energy, helping it move toward Jupiter and Europa.

“It’s like a game of billiards in space,” said Ben Bradley, a mission planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). “Everything needs to align perfectly for this to work.”

At its closest approach, which happened yesterday at 12:57 p.m. EST (1757 GMT), the probe was zooming at around 15.2 miles per second (24.5 km per second). After leaving Mars’ gravity, its speed dropped to 14 miles per second (22.5 km per second), according to Space.com.

The Mars flyby also gives the team a chance to test some instruments on board before reaching Europa. For instance, the thermal imager will capture colorful images of Mars, helping engineers calibrate the tool. Additionally, the radar instrument, one of the spacecraft’s key devices, will have its first real test. It’s designed to investigate Europa’s ice and look for hidden lakes or an ocean beneath.

NASA notes that the radar’s antennas are so large that they couldn’t be tested fully on Earth. This flyby allows NASA to see them in action for the first time in space.