On Monday NASA launched a spacecraft that will search for life on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.
Europa is believed to be a prime candidate for finding alien life, as it is believed to be home to a large water ocean beneath its icy crust. Scientists believe that the Europa ocean could have as much as twice the amount of water found on Earth.
Europa is the sixth-biggest moon in the Solar System, slightly smaller than Earth’s Moon.
The craft, named the Europa Clipper, is expected to reach Europa in 2030. It will map the moon, as well as fly through plumes of what is believed to be water ice which the object periodically ejects. This will be analysed for evidence of life.
The European Space Agency has also sent a craft to explore Europa. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer will study Europa and two of Jupiter’s other large moons, Ganymede and Callisto. Although it was launched last year, the craft is expected to only reach the Jovian system after the Europa Clipper, in 2031.
Image by Christian Bodhi from Pixabay