NASA and SpaceX postpone Europa Clipper launch
POT And SpaceX they have transferred this Sunday until further notice of launch Mission Europe Clipperwhich was scheduled to depart from Florida (USA) next Thursday, October 10, and which is now suspended due to the predicted impact Hurricane Milton.
A tropical cyclone that formed this weekend in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to make landfall mid-next week on Florida’s west coast, where it will cross the peninsula and bring heavy rain and winds. at Cape Canaveral.
After the storm, and “once we get the go-ahead, followed by site assessments and recovery efforts, we will determine the next opportunity to launch this flagship NASA mission,” Tim Dunn, director of the launch services program, said this Sunday. , in a statement.
The Europa Clipper spacecraft was moved Friday to Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A hangar in final preparations for launch. a journey that will lead to the icy moon of the planet Jupiter.
The US space agency operates until next November 6, other possible dates launch date for this mission, which will last four years.
There may be life on Europa’s satellite
According to NASA, the ship is being secured at the Kennedy Center, which began preparations this Sunday for the expected arrival of Milton, which is forecast to hit Florida as a major hurricane (Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale).
Europe Clipper, largest spacecraft ever built by NASA For planetary exploration, it will orbit Jupiter’s icy moon Europa and try to determine whether it could host life.
After liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers). before reaching Jupiter in 2030 to observe the satellite Europa, which is believed to support conditions suitable for life on its surface: water, energy and chemistry.