What is NASA Europa Mission and the latest discovery about it?

A recent discovery stated by Nasa’s Galileo orbiter points out that Europa, Jupiter's moon owns more water reservoirs than Earth's oceans. The water traces found ahead of NASA’s Europa mission have aired new hope for life and habitat. These findings came days after the Juno spacecraft buzzed the lunar world going about 400 kilometers above the surface and snapping the clearest images of the jovian moon.

According to Planetary Science Journal, scientists state that the ice crust of Europa could turn out to be the most accessible liquid water body in the outer solar system. Also, it indicates signs of life beyond earth. The deep reservoirs located where ice is warmer can melt easily and the water can be available at about 4 to 8 kilometers distance of the surface.  Further, the study cites, “Previous studies have demonstrated that freezing cryo-reservoirs might trigger eruptions due to the pressurization associated with volume change as liquid water expands to become water ice, but those studies did not take into account the deformation of the reservoir wall. Viscoelastic deformation of the wall can act to accommodate the growing overpressure and prevent eruptions.”

What is Europa?

Europa or Jupiter II is the smallest and the sixth-closest moon orbiting around Jupiter. The sixth-largest moon in the Solar System was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei. Named after the Phoenician mother of King Minos of Crete and lover of Zeus, Europa has the smoothest surface of any known solid object in the solar system. 

According to experts, the youth and smoothness of the surface are because of the water beds present beneath the surface, which becomes an important condition to determine whether Europa is habitable or not. 

What is NASA Europa Mission?

NASA on its official website has announced about Europa Mission. Under this mission, scientists will enter the boundaries of Europa to figure out the authenticity of this possible habitable world. Reports say, in 2024, depending on the moon conditions to sustain life, the Europa Clipper mission will be launched. According to NASA, Europa is composed of all the factors that affect life: life: water, chemistry, and energy.

Time flies, and soon our spacecraft will too.⏱🛰 Just two years and counting until our planned launch window opens to explore Jupiter's ocean moon Europa. https://t.co/rORF6MYHjc pic.twitter.com/a0dvaw9aMm

— NASA Europa Clipper (@EuropaClipper) October 10, 2022

The mission gets completed with the help of the most advanced spacecraft named Europa Clipper. Europa Clipper will carry science instruments to examine the icy moon Europa. 

FYI, early executed NASA missions have indicated that Europa has a salty ocean beneath its icy crust. And it might have more than twice as much water as all of Earth’s oceans together. Now the year 2024 mission will determine whether Europa’s ocean or overall environment can support life or not.