Europa Clipper is the largest planetary exploration spacecraft ever flown by NASA. Its mission is to investigate whether Jupiter's ice-covered moon Europa could harbor conditions suitable for life in its vast subsurface saltwater ocean. Traveling on an elliptical transfer with Mars and Earth flybys, Clipper will enter Jupiter orbit in 2030 and perform nearly 50 close, low-altitude flybys of Europa.
| Sensor | Subsystem | Scientific Measurement Function | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| REASON | Radar for Europa Assessment |
Ice-penetrating dual-frequency radar to sound through the ice shell into the ocean.
|
Standby |
| EIS | Europa Imaging System |
Narrow and wide-angle cameras for half-meter surface geologic resolution.
|
Standby |
| MISE | Imaging Spectrometer |
Maps distribution of surface salts, organic compounds, and warm ice fractures.
|
Standby |
| MASPEX | Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration |
Sniffs trace gases and potential plume vapor with extreme mass resolution.
|
Standby |
| SUDA | Surface Dust Analyzer |
Samples microscopic ice grains ejected into space by micrometeorite impacts.
|
Standby |