Live Coverage for NASA’s Europa Clipper Begins

Image shows an Europa spacecraft atop a Falcon Heavy rocket.
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft and SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket stands at Launch Pad 39A on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. Photo credit: SpaceX

Good morning, and welcome to live launch coverage from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida of the agency’s Europa Clipper mission!

NASA’s Europa Clipper will be the first mission to conduct a detailed science investigation of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Scientists predict Europa has a salty ocean beneath its icy crust that potentially could hold the building blocks necessary to sustain life.

The spacecraft, the largest NASA has ever built for a planetary mission, will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT. This will be NASA’s Launch Services Program’s fourth mission to launch from Launch Complex 39A. Today’s launch attempt has a 15-second launch window. Europa Clipper has launch opportunities today through Nov. 6.

Today’s launch blog comes to you from the NASA News Center here at NASA Kennedy. The live launch broadcast will begin at 11 a.m. on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. NASA launch coverage in Spanish also begins at 11 a.m. on NASA+ and NASA’s Spanish YouTube channel. You can also continue following along right here on the blog as we take you through the entire flight profile for the Europa Clipper mission.

Join the conversation, follow the launch, and get Europa Clipper mission updates from these accounts:

X: @EuropaClipper, @NASA, @NASAJPL, @NASA_LSP@NASASolarSystem, @NASASCaN, @NASAKennedy
Facebook: NASAEuropaClipper, NASA, NASAJPL, NASA LSP, NASASolarSystem, NASASCaN
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAJPL, @nasasolarsystem