NASA's Europa Clipper mission has successfully activated two of its science instruments as it heads toward the planet Jupiter
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The Europa Clipper spacecraft, launched on October 14, is currently on its way to study Jupiter's icy moon Europa, which is believed to host a subsurface ocean. The mission lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. It has since traveled 20 million kilometers from Earth, traveling at a speed of 35 kilometers per second relative to the sun, according to a NASA statement.
The spacecraft has so far performed as expected, deploying its massive solar arrays shortly after launch. The solar arrays, which are the length of a basketball court, collect sunlight to power the spacecraft on its journey to Jupiter and during its science work in the Jovian system.
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Recently, several antennas for the spacecraft's radar instrument were also activated and will remain active on the spacecraft for the duration of the mission.
Measuring 8.5 meters, the antenna was unrolled from a canister mounted on the spacecraft's body. Sensors associated with the hardware confirmed that the deployment was successful. Once the spacecraft reaches Jupiter, the magnetometer will be used to measure the magnetic field around Europa. This will help scientists confirm the existence of the ocean believed to lie beneath the moon's icy crust and measure its depth and salinity, according to the statement.
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To reach Jupiter, Europa Clipper will perform a few gravity assists by circling Mars and then Earth. This maneuver allows the spacecraft to harness a planet's gravitational pull to gain speed and change its orbit.
Source: space.com
