Europa Clipper: Mission Status and Update
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Europa Clipper: Mission Status and Update Cynthia Phillips1, Samuel Howell1, Robert Pappalardo1, David Senske1, Haje Korth2, Jennifer Kampmeier1, Kate Craft2, Rachel Klima2, Erin Leonard1, and the Europa Clipper Science Team 1) Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, California, USA, 2) Johns Hopkins University ApplieD Physics Laboratory, MarylanD, USA © 2020 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged Europa Clipper Science Goal and Objectives • Science Goal: Explore Europa to investigate its habitability • Science Objectives: • Ice Shell & Ocean: Characterize the ice shell and any subsurface water, including their heterogeneity, ocean properties, and the nature of surface-ice-ocean exchange • Composition: Understand the habitability of Europa's ocean through composition and chemistry • Geology: Understand the formation of surface features, including sites of recent or current activity, and characterize high science interest localities Note: Recent Activity cross-cuts throuGh all three principal science objectives E UROp A 2 CLIppE R Mission Overview • Europa Clipper is a NASA FlaGship mission, scheduled for launch in the mid-2020’s. • Payload instruments will work toGether to investiGate Europa’s habitability • Mission desiGn: more than 50 Globally distributed flybys of Europa over ~3.8 years • Observe widely distributed set of GeoloGic terrains • Provide data to constrain and test Geophysical and Geochemical models of ice shell and ocean • The team uses a “One Team” philosophy • Science team members are considered part of a sinGle, inteGrated science team • This avoids stovepipinG of science efforts • “Rules of the Road” document spells out expectations of inclusiveness, respect, and equitable treatment for all members of science team E UROp A 3 CLIppE R Europa Clipper Investigations SUDA ECM Dust Analyzer Magnetometer PIMS MASPEX PI: Sascha Kempf, U. Colorado TL: Margaret Kivelson, U. Michigan Faraday Cups Mass Spectrometer surface & plume sensing ocean properties PI: Joe Westlake, APL PI: Jim Burch, SWRI composition sniffing atmospheric plasma environment composition Europa-UVS E-THEMIS MISE UV Spectrograph EIS Thermal Imager Narrow-angle Camera + IR Spectrometer PI: Phil Christensen, ASU PI: Kurt Retherford, SWRI PI: Diana Blaney, JPL searching for hot spots seeking plumes Wide-angle Camera surface chemical fingerprints PI: Zibi Turtle, APL mapping alien landscape REASON Ice-Penetrating Radar PI: Don Blankenship, UTIG probing the ice shell G/RS Doppler Gravity TL: Erwan Mazarico, Goddard probing interior layers Remote Sensing In Situ Europa Clipper Science Instrument Accommodation In Situ • Currently in Phase C: Instrument deck: Implementation ram during flybys Europa Clipper Magnetometer: 3x fluxgates; deployable boom • Flight hardware construction has begun • Accommodations for payload Remote Sensing Instrument deck: have been completed nadir during flybys • Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM) has been integrated, including new boom • VHF Antennas for REASON ice-penetrating radar have REASON VHF been revised Radar antennas 4x • REASON VHF and HF antennas have been accommodated on solar REASON HF panels Radar antennas 2x E UROp A 5-panel Solar Arrays 2x 5 CLIppE R Launch Readiness • Europa Clipper spacecraft will be launch-ready in early 2024 • Europa Clipper project is baselining a 2024 Launch Readiness Date • SLS Launch opportunities exist in summer and fall 2024 • ELV launch opportunity exists in fall 2024 • SLS team is working towards meeting the near-term deliverables required for a 2024 launch • NASA's Launch Service Program (LSP) has determined that an Expendable Launch Vehicle commercial option is feasible in 2024 • Europa Clipper requires a launch vehicle decision by the end of Calendar Year 2020 to continue to mature spacecraft development Visit http://europa.nasa.gov for more information! E UROp A 6 CLIppE R.