LIFT OFF! NASA successfully completes launch of Europa Clipper from the Kennedy Space Center towards Jupiter on a 5.5 year and 1.8-billion-mile journey to hunt for signs of life on icy moon Europa

https://x.com/NASAKennedy/status/1845860335154086212

11 Comments

  1. itsjustaride24 on

    Let’s GO!!! Watching live I’m thrilled they are FINALLY going to Europa.

  2. **Edit:** NOW the launch can be declared successful, and now it’s all on NASA’s shoulders.

    At risk of being persnickety, SpaceX launched the probe, and at this time it cannot yet be declared successful until SES-2, SECO-2, and probe separation.

    Yes, I’m fun at parties.

  3. This makes me so happy! I got to see Europa Clipper up close and personal while they were building it at JPL so I felt a special connection to this launch and had a lot of anxiety about it going well. So glad everything seems to have gone smoothly (so far). Safe travels, Europa Clipper!

  4. Friendly reminder that this was originally supposed to launch on SLS, but NASA was ultimately and thankfully able to re-bid this launch contract to a launch provider that could actually get the thing into space.

  5. DarthPineapple5 on

    Super excited for this mission but its a bummer we won’t be getting data back until the 2030’s.

  6. Astronomer here! Pretty excited as I have a new colleague who’s one of the instrument PIs for Europa Clipper! Sounds like it was a bit nerve wracking with the hurricane last week, but they can breathe easy now. 🙂

    I have to say though, I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t have the patience to be this kind of scientist. They started planning this thing before her grade-school son was born, and it won’t arrive until he’s old enough to drive…

  7. ForeverMonkeyMan on

    Headline made it seem like NASA was in the launch business again.

    SpaceX successfully launches for NASA the Europa Clipper…..FTFY

  8. We just keep looking for another viable planet while we destroy ours. Glad the billionaires are figuring out space travel for themselves.

  9. A few faces turning blue waiting for the acquisition of signal 😀

    Then suddenly there’s the spectrum showing lots of signal and not much noise!