Elon Musk's SpaceX has signed a new contract with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In 2024, the contractor is to launch the Europa Clipper probe into space. The device will enter the orbit of Europa, the satellite of Jupiter, to determine if there is life in the subglacial ocean of a celestial body. The total cost of the contract was $ 178 million.
NASA announced the choice of SpaceX to explore Europe on its website. The ministry clarified that the spacecraft will be launched to the satellite of Jupiter using the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, which was designed by Elon Musk. The start is scheduled for October 2024.
The Europa Clipper probe will have a large set of instruments to assess if there are living organisms on Europe. The device should fly 45 times near the satellite, dropping to an altitude of less than 26 kilometers. NASA specialists will take photographs of the surface of a celestial body, create an accurate map of the ice crust, indicating its composition and thickness. They also have to study the composition and salinity of the water ocean in Europe. Biologists believe that life can exist in the ocean of a satellite. In such conditions, bacteria and other microorganisms are capable of being.
In April, SpaceX won a NASA tender to build a spacecraft to send astronauts to the moon. For these purposes, Musk's company was supposed to receive $ 2.9 billion. But the deal was challenged by competitors, and the contract was frozen.
Photo: Jason Major, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
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