NASA launches the huge Clipper spacecraft from Florida to Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon

Clipper, the NASA’s largest ship for a planetary mission, left this Monday from Florida towards Europeone of Jupiter’s moons covered in ice and hiding in its depths a huge ocean that can harbor life.

Clipper was launched by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center, in central Florida, at 12:06 EST (16:06 GMT).

The historic mission to decipher whether “we are alone” in the universe will carry out about fifty flybys along this mysterious icy moon, 25 kilometers high, to determine if Europa has favorable conditions for life.

The moon Europa, according to NASA, shows compelling evidence that an ocean of liquid water exists beneath its icy crust. Beyond Earth, Europe is considered one of the most promising places where there could be currently habitable environments in the Solar System.