Europa Clipper

The Europa Clipper mission (formerly called the Europa Multiple Flyby Mission) is a NASA space probe en route toward Jupiter, to orbit Jupiter, observing Jupiter's moon, Europa during more than forty flybys. The probe was launched October 14, 2024, intending to reach Jupiter in 2030, then observe over three or more years. Instruments:

• PIMS - Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding.
• ECM - Europa Clipper Magnetometer.
• MISE - Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa.
• EIS - Europa Imaging System.
• REASON - Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface.
• E-THEMIS - Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System.
• MASPEX - Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration/Europa.
• UVS - Ultraviolet Spectrograph.
• SUDA - Surface Dust Mass Analyzer.
• Gravity/Radio Science.

A potential technical issue was announced in July 2024, which could have motivated a delay: the mission uses electronic parts that are resistant to the extreme radiation of Jupiter's radiation belt, but the particular parts used in Europa Clipper mission have not lived up to their specifications in other missions currently in operation. NASA ultimately decided that though this is a concern, the potential risk was not enough to justify re-engineering before launch, and launched in October.