Skip Navigation
menu close modal

All Resources

Europa Clipper Propulsion Module

An engineer removes protective plastic wrap from Europa Clipper's propulsion module in a cleanroom.
Source: Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman
Published: July 12, 2021

An engineer removes protective plastic wrap from Europa Clipper's propulsion module in the cleanroom at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Related

The bake-out fixture is modified in preparation for the transfer and installation of the harness onto the propulsion module structure. The harness is the cabling that connects all of the electronic...
More
people wearing clean room attire work on the spacecraft's electrical system
Europa Clipper Propulsion Module
The puzzling, fascinating surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa looms large in this newly-reprocessed color view.
More
Europa view
Europa's Stunning Surface
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) staff collaborate on the calibration of the MAss Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration/Europa (MASPEX) instrument, developed and built at SwRI. 
More
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) staff collaborate on the calibration of the MAss Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration/Europa (MASPEX) instrument, developed and built at SwRI. Kurt Franke (spectrometer engineering lead) points out a mass peak during the MASPEX flight model first calibration run to, clockwise, Kelly Miller (calibration lead), Greg Miller (spectrometer design lead), and Paul Hoeper (software lead).
Mass Spectrometer Assembly
This composite image of the Jupiter-facing hemisphere of Europa was obtained on Nov. 25, 1999 by two instruments onboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. 
More
colors superimposed on black and white terrain that represent chemical compostion
Europa: Sea Salts or Battery Acid
Engineers and technicians lift the tall core of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft during a maneuver to position it in the High Bay 1 clean room of the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the agency’s Je...
More
In the center of the image, the main body of the Europa Clipper spacecraft hangs from a yellow crane in a large, multistoried cleanroom with white walls and a white ceiling. Six engineers in full-body coveralls and masks stand around the base of the main body as it hangs from the crane, with some working on the main body. In the distance, a viewing gallery is visible with four people watching the activities taking place.
The Lift: NASA's Europa Clipper Moves into Position
This 12-frame mosaic provides the highest resolution view ever obtained of the side of Jupiter's moon Europa that faces the giant planet.
More
full-disc black and white view of moon
Europa's Jupiter-Facing Hemisphere
This enhanced color image shows cracks and ridges on Europa's surface that reveal a detailed geologic history.
More
Photo of Europa terrain
Cracks and Ridges on Europa
Europa Clipper engineers using mixed reality (also known as augment reality, or AR) headsets to examine Europa Clipper’s avionics module assembly. 
More
Europa Clipper engineers using mixed reality (also known as augment reality, or AR) headsets to examine Europa Clipper’s avionics module assembly.
Augmented Reality Avionics
This view from NASA's Galileo spacecraft shows a severely fractured surface on Europa.
More
Black and white image close-up of surface.
Fractured Land
The towering core of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft is shown in the storied Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
More
In a large white multistory room, the main body of the Europa Clipper spacecraft rests upon a stand as it takes its position in the ultra-hygienic High Bay 1 in the JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility. The main body is composed of a shiny metallic cylinder with wiring and electronics attached to it. Two people in full white coveralls and masks crouch next to the main body. A person in full coveralls and a mask stands in the distance watching. On the right, two additional people in coveralls and masks watch the work being done on the main body of the spacecraft, with one pointing at the main body. In the distance, the cleanroom's wall of fame is visible, with the identifiers of previous missions that have been assembled in the cleanroom.
NASA's Europa Clipper Takes Center Stage
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón is writing an original poem dedicated to NASA’s Europa Clipper mission.
More
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón is standing in the center of this image, looking up. She is surrounded by consoles with screens and a sign on the back reads “Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology” next to the NASA meatball logo.
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón Visits Mission Control at NASA's JPL
This image of Jupiter's icy satellite Europa shows surface features such as domes and ridges, as well as a region of disrupted terrain including crustal plates which are thought to have broken apar...
More
color view of complex terrain on an icy surface
Europa "Ice Rafts" in Local and Color Context
The ultraviolet spectrograph will collect ultraviolet light and create images to help determine the composition of Europa’s atmospheric gases and surface materials
More
The ultraviolet spectrograph will collect ultraviolet light and create images to help determine the composition of Europa’s atmospheric gases and surface materials
Europa Clipper's Ultraviolet Spectrograph
A 3D model of the Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS), a plasma and magnetic field instrument on Europa Clipper. 
More
3d model of PIMS instrument
PIMS
Thera and Thrace are two dark, reddish regions of enigmatic terrain that disrupt the older icy ridged plains on Jupiter's moon Europa.
More
Images of two craters
Thera and Thrace
Europa Clipper's propulsion module is offloaded from its transportation trailer following arrival at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
More
Europa Clipper Propulsion Module arrival at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Europa Clipper Propulsion Module
An engineering model of Europa Clipper's MASPEX instrument.
More
An engineering model of Europa Clipper's MASPEX instrument.
MAss Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration/Europa (MASPEX)
Features on Jupiter's moon Europa that may be "flows" from ice volcanoes.
More
Canyon-like features on Europa.
Flow-like Features On Europa
Scientists put Europa Clipper’s ultraviolet spectrograph through its final calibrations prior to shipment to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
More
Scientists put Europa Clipper’s ultraviolet spectrograph through its final calibrations prior to shipment to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Ultraviolet Spectrograph Shipment Preparations
Engineers and technicians work together to install reaction wheels on the underside of the main body of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, which is in its assembly, test, and launch operations phase...
More
The main body of the spacecraft standing in a white clean room is the central component of this image. The tall structure is covered with protective covers to keep sensitive equipment safe during assembly and what looks like white paper, which is being used for patterning for the spacecraft’s protective insulation. Four engineers are seen under the base of the spacecraft, where they are installing the reaction wheels, as if they are working on the undercarriage of a car. Two engineers on the left are on their stomachs, and two engineers on the right are on their back.
NASA's Europa Clipper: Reaction Wheel Installation
This mosaic of the south polar region of Jupiter's moon Europa shows the northern 180 miles (290 kilometers) of a strike-slip fault named Astypalaea Linea.
More
linear terrain features on an icy surface
San Andreas-sized Strike-slip Fault on Europa
A newly discovered impact crater can be seen just right of the center of this image of Jupiter's moon Europa returned by NASA's Galileo spacecraft camera. The crater is about 18.5 miles (30 kilomet...
More
black and white view of cracked icy surface
Europa's Active Surface
Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to rotate Europa Clipper to a vertical position on May 28, 2024, as part of prelaunch processing. 
More
Workers in blue overalls and white head covers watch as equipment is used to rotate Europa Clipper.
Europa Clipper Spacecraft Rotate to Vertical, Lift and Mate to Work Stand
The SUDA instrument undergoes dust acceleration testing. 
More
Video showing engineers handling the SUDA instrument as it is loaded into a vacuum chamber for dust testing and then moved back to a clean room.
SUDA Dust Test Timelapse
Artist’s illustration of Jupiter and Europa (in the foreground) with the Galileo spacecraft after its pass through a plume erupting from Europa’s surface.
More
Artist’s illustration of Jupiter and Europa (in the foreground) with the Galileo .
Europa Scene: Plume, Galileo, Magnetic Field