Defense Speak Interpreted: JADC2—Why It’s More Relevant Than Ever in Drone Warfare
Beyond the Board: Orbital High Ground—Why Space Superiority Is Slipping Away
The Government Circuit: Trump’s Trade War Disrupts the Electronics Ecosystem
NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for the Europa Clipper Mission
July 28, 2021 | NASAEstimated reading time: 1 minute
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for Earth’s first mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter's moon Europa.
The Europa Clipper mission will launch in October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The total contract award amount for launch services is approximately $178 million.
Europa Clipper will conduct a detailed survey of Europa and use a sophisticated suite of science instruments to investigate whether the icy moon has conditions suitable for life. Key mission objectives are to produce high-resolution images of Europa’s surface, determine its composition, look for signs of recent or ongoing geological activity, measure the thickness of the moon’s icy shell, search for subsurface lakes, and determine the depth and salinity of Europa’s ocean.
NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy will manage the Europa Clipper launch service. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission.
Share on:
Testimonial
"We’re proud to call I-Connect007 a trusted partner. Their innovative approach and industry insight made our podcast collaboration a success by connecting us with the right audience and delivering real results."
Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
NASA to Preview Advanced US-India Radar Mission Ahead of Launch
07/17/2025 | NASA JPLThe NISAR satellite, a collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, will provide a three-dimensional view of Earth in unprecedented detail.
NASA Selects Instruments for Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle
07/14/2025 | NASA JPLThe JPL-led UCIS-Moon imaging spectrometer will map the Moon’s geology, water, and ice, from orbit, measuring how human activity affects those volatiles.
NASA, German Aerospace Center to Expand Artemis Campaign Cooperation
06/24/2025 | NASAWhile attending the Paris Air Show June 16, NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro signed an agreement with DLR (German Aerospace Center, or Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) to continue a partnership in space medicine research.
Yank Technologies Selected for Prestigious NASA Phase II Contract for Dust-Tolerant Resonant Connectors
05/20/2025 | PRNewswireYank Technologies, the developer of disruptive long range, high power wireless charging solutions, has been selected for a two-year follow-on Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to advance Dust-Tolerant Resonant Connectors for lunar and planetary surfaces.
Proposed NASA Budget Redirects Funding Toward Mars, Ends Key Programs
05/06/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamThe Trump administration has proposed a $6 billion reduction to NASA’s budget for FY 2026, with $1 billion redirected toward Mars-focused programs. According to a discretionary budget document published on NASA’s website, the plan shifts resources toward returning to the Moon ahead of China and initiating a human mission to Mars.