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The Europa Clipper, an automated interplanetary station that will launch into space in October 2024 to study the vast ocean hidden beneath the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, has sent back its first images of the starry sky. As the probe flies toward its destination, its cameras search for stars, take pictures, and send them back to Earth.
These photos are used by engineers as a compass to ensure the spacecraft's antennas are pointed correctly at Earth and data is transmitted smoothly.
NASA recently shared the first images taken by the Europa Clipper spacecraft. They show four bright stars (Jenach, Algorab, Kraz, and Alhiba), which are located between 50 and 150 light-years from our planet, in the constellation of Corvus.
The flight to Europa will take five and a half years, during which time the spacecraft will perform two gravitational acceleration maneuvers: on the outskirts of Mars on March 1, 2025, and on the outskirts of Earth in December 2026. They will ensure entry into the initial orbit around Jupiter in April 2030.
After arriving at the largest planet in the solar system, Europa Clipper will perform a series of additional maneuvers that will bring the spacecraft into a working orbit. In early 2031, the probe will begin its main science program and make 49 close flybys of Europa.
