NASA delays the launch of the Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon.
An approaching hurricane has led NASA and SpaceX to cancel the scheduled launch for Thursday of the anticipated Europa Clipper mission.
The Europa Clipper mission from SpaceX and NASA, scheduled for this Thursday, has been canceled due to the advance of Hurricane Milton, which is headed toward Florida, where the Kennedy Space Center is located. NASA officials reported that once the hurricane has passed, recovery teams will assess the safety of the spaceport and launch processing facilities before staff return to work. Additionally, it has been confirmed that the spacecraft has been secured in SpaceX's hangar at Kennedy.
The company has a daily launch window until October 30, although the rocket is expected to lift off next weekend or early the following week, instead of toward the end of the month. The Europa Clipper mission aims to study Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, with the expectation that the data obtained could help determine whether its subsurface ocean might support some form of life.
The mission will be launched by a Falcon Heavy rocket, which is on its eleventh flight. During the launch, multiple cameras on the ground and on the rocket itself will provide spectacular views of the Falcon Heavy's ascent. This rocket, composed of three Falcon 9s and 27 Merlin engines, generates more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, equivalent to the power of approximately eighteen 747 airplanes. The Falcon Heavy is one of the most powerful operational rockets in the world, capable of carrying nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 pounds) to orbit.
Additionally, SpaceX is developing an even more powerful rocket, the Starship, which will have the capability of generating an astonishing 17 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. The company hopes to receive authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration soon to conduct the fifth test flight of the Starship, with the possibility of launch at the end of November.
