NASA's Europa Clipper survives environmental testing to prepare for launch in October

LOS ANGELES, March 27 (Xinhua) -- NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft has gone through a series of hard-core tests recently at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to prepare its mission set for October, NASA said on Wednesday.

In less than six months, NASA is set to launch Europa Clipper on a 2.6-billion-kilometer voyage to Jupiter's ocean moon Europa.

From the wild vibrations of the rocket ride to the intense heat and cold of space to the punishing radiation of Jupiter, it will be a journey of extremes, according to NASA.

The spacecraft has survived environmental testing, the battery of trials simulates the environment that the spacecraft will face, subjecting it to shaking, chilling, airlessness, electromagnetic fields, and more, according to NASA.

Later this spring, the spacecraft will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams of engineers and technicians will carry out final preparations with eyes on the clock.

Europa Clipper's launch period opens Oct. 10, according to NASA.

After liftoff, the spacecraft will zip toward Mars, and in late February 2025, it will be close enough to use the Red Planet's gravitational force for added momentum.

Europa Clipper is set to arrive at Jupiter in 2030.

Europa Clipper's main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter's icy moon, Europa, that could support life, according to NASA.