It is believed that Europa, a moon of Jupiter, may be suitable for the existence of life. NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, which has been under development for several years, is designed to explore the habitability of this oceanic world. The Europa Clipper, NASA’s upcoming flagship mission to the outer solar system, has passed a significant milestone with a critical review of the craft’s design.

JPL and APL experts attach heat pipes to Europa Clipper in 2019 (NASA / JPL)

During the analysis, experts examined a detailed model of the spacecraft to make sure it was ready for completion. The mission can now complete the fabrication and testing of the equipment and proceed to the assembly and testing of the probe and its payload, which includes sophisticated scientific instruments.

Europa’s surface is made of ice and is one of the smoothest in the solar system; there are few craters on it, but many cracks. It is believed that there is a water ocean under it, which is twice the size of all earth’s oceans combined. This makes the satellite, in theory, habitable. But the low temperatures and incessant exposure of the surface to Jupiter’s radiation make it a challenging target to explore: mission engineers and scientists must design a spacecraft tough enough to withstand the radiation, yet sensitive enough to gather the scientific data needed to explore Europe’s environment. …

Illustration – Europa Clipper probe near the moon of Jupiter (NASA / JPL)

The Europa Clipper orbiter will circle Jupiter in an elliptical trajectory, descending closer to the surface on each pass to conduct detailed reconnaissance. The mission includes measuring the inland ocean, mapping the composition of the surface and its geology, and looking for columns of water vapor that could burst from under the ice crust.

Spacecraft development is progressing well, NASA reports. A detailed analysis of the design has now allowed us to dive deeply into the specific plans of all scientific instruments – from cameras and antennas to flight subsystems, including propulsion, power, avionics and an on-board computer.

Engineer (APL) installs wide-angle camera detector electronics on a test model of the imaging system (NASA / APL / Ed Whitman)

“We have shown that the design of our system is of a very high quality.Said Jan Chodas, project manager for the Europa Clipper, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPS). – Our plans to complete the development and integration of the individual parts are moving forward as expected, and the system as a whole will function as intended and will provide the scientific measurements needed to study the potential habitability of Europe. ”

In addition to detailed blueprints and plans, the mission has already built prototypes and engineering models to test how well the instrumentation and engineering subsystems will perform. And most of the flight equipment is already being created, individual engineering subsystems and instruments have undergone their own design checks over the past year and a half.

Europa Clipper High Gain Bowl Antenna for Earth Communications (NASA)

The core modules of the Europa Clipper are taking shape. In the final stages of assembly, there is a nearly 3-meter diameter, high-gain disc-shaped antenna that will receive commands from Earth and transmit scientific data back. And by far the most visible piece of Europa Clipper equipment – massive solar panels that will unfold in deep space like wings – are also in production. The fully expanded spacecraft will be wider than a basketball court in length – 30,5 meters. And the area of ​​the panels will be about 90 square meters.

They will be attached to a propulsion module under construction by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. The core of the propulsion module consists of two stacked cylinders, which together are about 3 meters high and contain propulsion tanks and 16 electric rocket motors that will propel the Europa Clipper as soon as it leaves Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA technicians check the Europa Clipper engine module landing October 15, 2020 (NASA / Barbara Lambert)

The cylinders have already been created at APL and sent to JPL to install pipes for the heat redistribution system, part of the ship’s thermal management system. The cylinders were then sent to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to install the propulsion system. There are 400 welded joints, each of which is X-rayed for quality control.

APL is also building a telecommunications module for radio communications with the Earth and a radiation monitor that will assess the exposure of the device during its 40+ flights over Europe.

JPL is building several elements of the flight system, including shielding sophisticated electronic equipment from Jupiter’s intense radiation. JPL also builds and tests an avionics subsystem that includes an on-board computer, switching and power distribution hardware, flight software, and ground system tools. Ground support equipment is also under construction, which will be used to assemble and test large pieces of Europa Clipper flight equipment.

JPL engineers test Europa Clipper radar antenna model in 2019 (NASA / JPL)

The spacecraft’s scientific instruments will measure the depth of the ice crust, the size of the inner ocean, its thickness and salinity, capture color images of surface geology in detail, and so on. Scientists are especially interested in what the satellite’s surface consists of. Europa Clipper is also exploring Europa’s gravitational field, which will tell scientists more about how Jupiter affects its moon and its inner ocean.

The entire complex set of tools and equipment must be free of electromagnetic interference. The extensive testing that JPL will conduct in 2021 is designed to ensure this. At the beginning of 2022, assembly, testing of an already one-piece apparatus and preparation for launch will begin. The Europa Clipper probe should be ready for launch in 2024.