On October 10, NASA is launching a hotly anticipated new mission to Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon, Europa.
Called Europa Clipper, the spacecraft will conduct a detailed study of the moon, looking for potential places where Europa might host alien life.
It’s the largest planetary exploration spacecraft NASA has ever made: as wide as a basketball court when its solar sails are unfolded. It has a mass of about 6,000 kilograms – the weight of a large African elephant.
But why are we sending a hulking spacecraft all the way to Europa?