This mission is not like some other that NASA has ever developed, largely due to the difficult circumstances on the Jupiter system. At an average distance of 778 million kilometers (484 million miles) from the Solar, Jupiter receives comparatively little daylight.
“We needed to construct big photo voltaic panels to seize the small quantity of daylight at Jupiter to energy the spacecraft,” stated Europa Clipper Venture Supervisor Jordan Evans. “That is what made the Europa Clipper NASA’s largest-ever planetary spacecraft.”
Getting such a big spacecraft to such a distant vacation spot isn’t any straightforward feat. Though the Falcon Heavy rocket that launched the spacecraft used beforehand flown elements (together with facet boosters that had been used to launch NASA’s Psyche mission in October 2023), not one of the rocket’s elements can be recovered after Europa Clipper’s launch.
“By doing this, we maximize the raise capability of the automobile and make sure that all of the gas onboard is used to propel the spacecraft, enabling it to achieve escape velocity,” stated Armando Piloto, Senior Mission Supervisor for the Launch Companies Program at Kennedy Area Middle. “In the course of the second stage burn, the spacecraft can be touring at roughly 25,000 miles per hour, the quickest pace for a second stage ever.”
As soon as the spacecraft detaches from the rocket, it should nonetheless have loads of its personal propellant on board — greater than 2,700 kilograms (6,000 kilos). When it reaches the Jupiter system, its 24 engines will burn 50-60% of that fuel to propel Europa Clipper into orbit round Jupiter.
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