Space Science & Technology | 11th November 2026
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft is preparing to return to Earth in December 2026 for a gravity-assist manoeuvre that will help propel it towards Jupiter and one of the Solar System's most promising locations for potentially habitable environments.
Launched in October 2024, the spacecraft is travelling towards Europa, an icy moon believed to contain a vast liquid-water ocean beneath its frozen surface.
Europa Clipper completed its first gravity assist at Mars on 1 March 2025, passing approximately 884 kilometres above the planet.
Its next manoeuvre will take place near Earth, where the spacecraft is expected to pass approximately 3,200 kilometres above the surface.
By using the gravitational influence of both planets, mission controllers can adjust the spacecraft's trajectory and speed without carrying the additional fuel that would otherwise be required.
Investigating Europa's Hidden Ocean
Europa Clipper is scheduled to enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030, with close flybys of Europa beginning in 2031.
The spacecraft carries scientific instruments designed to investigate the moon's ice shell, surface composition and possible interactions between its subsurface ocean and the environment above.
An ice-penetrating radar will help scientists examine structures beneath Europa's frozen surface, while other instruments will investigate its chemistry and potential geological activity.
Europa's ocean is considered scientifically important because liquid water, chemical energy and suitable materials could provide conditions relevant to life.
However, Europa Clipper is not designed to directly detect living organisms. Its principal objective is to determine whether environments capable of supporting life exist beneath the ice.
The December Earth flyby will mark another important stage in a six-year interplanetary journey towards understanding the habitability of Jupiter's ocean moon.
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