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Mission Animation: Launch

Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Published: May 16, 2022

This animation segment shows NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft leaving Earth.

See more animations here.

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An engineer configures the sensor head for Europa Clipper’s dust analyzer for magnetics testing.  
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The SUDA sensor head rests upon a table in a clean room. The sensor head is gold in color, shaped slightly like a drum on its side. It is attached a device that lifts the sensor head from the table, and is seen slightly to the ride of center in the image. An engineer wearing white full body coveralls, light blue gloves, glasses, and a mask stands behind the sensor head and the table it is on, looking down at the sensor head. Two additional engineers stand in the distance on either side of the sensor head, both wearing full white body coveralls, masks, and light blue gloves.
Configuring Europa Clipper's Dust Analyzer for Magnetics Testing
Where's a great place to look for life in our solar system beyond Earth? Jupiter's moon, Europa, with its salty, global ocean, might be a good place to start.
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An illustrated and audio description of possible life on Europa.
Europa - Cool Destination For Life?
A view of the outward-facing side of the Europa Clipper vault plate.
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An image of the Europa Clipper vault plate, highlighted from the upper left corner casting shadows that emphasize engraved waveforms emanating from a central point symbolizing the word 'water' in multiple languages. The waveforms present as audio frequency waves. The vault plate is metal silver and the engravings are black, set against a black background.
Europa Clipper Vault Plate - Outward-Facing Side
Final shipment preparations being made to Europa Clipper's ultraviolet spectrograph. 
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Final shipment preparations being made to Europa Clipper's ultraviolet spectrograph.
Ultraviolet Spectrograph Shipment Preparations
Solar array “wings” for NASA’s Europa Clipper in the cleanroom of Airbus in Leiden, the Netherlands.
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The spacecraft’s large solar array wings take up the majority of this image. They are parallel to each other in position and the image is taken at angle, so you can see the solar arrays extended into the background of the image. Each solar array wing consists of five panels connected to each other to form a long solar array wing that is approximately 46.5 feet (14.2 meters) long. Bronze colored lines are visible creating a grid pattern on each panel. Each solar array wing is hoisted several feet above the ground by support structures that attach to each solar array wing panel. The solar array wings are tall with an approximate height of 13.5 feet (4.1 meters). Walking between the solar array wings is an engineer wearing blue protective clothing. The engineer doesn’t even appear to come up to half the height of the solar array wings. The solar array wings are visible in a large white cleanroom, and the area with the wings is cordoned off with a red barrier.
NASA Europa Clipper Solar Arrays Assembly
Build your own version of Europa Clipper, learning how each part of the spacecraft fits together as you go. 
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Advanced paper model of Europa Clipper available for download.
Europa Clipper Paper Model (Advanced)
The massive high-gain antenna for NASA's Europa Clipper mission is complete.
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The massive high-gain antenna for NASA's Europa Clipper mission is complete.
Standing Tall: Europa Clipper's High-Gain Antenna
Scientists think there is an ocean within Jupiter's moon Europa. NASA-JPL astrobiologist Kevin Hand explains why scientists are so excited about the potential of this ice-covered world to answer on...
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A tour of Europa and its possibilities for life.
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The imaging spectrometer's scanning mirror and data processing unit are carefully packaged into a specialized shipping container.
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Members of Europa Clipper’s imaging spectrometer instrument, called MISE, team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory carefully package the instrument’s scanning mirror and data processing unit into a specialized shipping container.
Imaging Spectrometer's Scanning Mirror and Data Processing Unit Packaging
We are on the cusp of exploring what may be the best place in our solar system to look for life beyond Earth.
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illustrated poster of the Europa Clipper spacecraft silhouetted above Europa with Jupiter in the background
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A close-up view of the top of the inward-facing side of the Europa Clipper vault plate. It's engraved with the Drake Equation, and the Jovian system with a bottle replacing Jupiter. 
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This is a close-up view of the top of the Europa Clipper's triangular-shaped silver vault plate. It has a rounded top and a flat bottom. This view shows the Drake Equation, and a drawing of the Jovian system with Jupiter replaced with a bottle.
Europa Clipper Vault Plate - Inward Facing Top
The animation illustrates the magnetic connection between Europa’s induced magnetic field and the magnetic field lines of Jupiter’s own powerful magnetic field.
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animation showing the connection between magnetic fields on Europa and Jupiter
Combined Magnetic Field of Jupiter and Europa's Induction Response
Engineers test components for Europa Clipper’s radar instrument.
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Engineers test components for Europa Clipper’s radar instrument.
Radar Test Time-Lapse
The Europa Clipper Solar Array Mechanical Simulator is shown installed on the spacecraft’s propulsion module.
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Image showing Europa Clipper Solar Array Mechanical Simulator installed on the spacecraft’s propulsion module.
Solar Array Mechanical Simulator
Europa Clipper engineers using mixed reality (also known as augment reality, or AR) headsets to examine Europa Clipper’s avionics module assembly. 
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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
Workers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California watch as the Europa Clipper’s magnetometer boom is tested.
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Three workers in white lab coats, cleanroom bouffant caps, and blue face masks watch as Europa Clipper’s magnetometer boom is tested. Part of the equipment holding the boom can be seen in front of the workers.
Europa Clipper Magnetometer Boom is Tested
The Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) flight instrument in early fall 2021, just before the principal investigator's final optical inspection and installation of its top cover. 
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The Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) flight instrument in early fall 2021, just before the principal investigator's final optical inspection and installation of its top cover.
Final Inspection of Europa-UVS
This animation showing a flyover of the region named Conamara on Europa was created using stereo imaging data obtained by NASA's Galileo spacecraft.
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A 3D black-and-white flyover of Europa's surface.
Conamara Chaos Flyover
Adjusting laboratory equipment used to calibrate Europa Clipper’s ultraviolet spectrograph. 
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Adjusting laboratory equipment used to calibrate Europa Clipper’s ultraviolet spectrograph.
Ultraviolet Spectrograph Shipment Preparations
This animation showing a flyover of the region surrounding the 9-mile (15-kilometer) wide crater Cilix on Europa was created using stereo imaging data obtained by NASA's Galileo spacecraft.
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A 3D black-and-white flyover of Europa's surface.
Cilix Crater Flyover
The Europa Clipper Solar Array Mechanical Simulator is shown installed on the spacecraft’s propulsion module.
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Imaging showing the Europa Clipper Solar Array Mechanical Simulator
Solar Array Mechanical Simulator
Europa Clipper’s surface dust analyzer instrument is examined following delivery to JPL in September 2022.
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An engineer in a full body coverall and a fask mask is shown on the left side of the image, holding a small black flashlight the size of a pen and examining Europa Clipper’s surface dust analyzer instrument. The instrument is gold colored and about the size of a drum, resting on its side. The instrument is resting upon a silver workbench in the cleanroom.
Europa Clipper's Dust Analyzer Delivered to JPL
Engineers inspect Europa Clipper's plasma detection instrument. 
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An engineer examines a faraday cup, part of Europa Clipper's plasma detection instrument, which is resting on a table in a clean room. The engineer is using a flash light to examine the instrument.
Plasma Detection Instrument Delivered to JPL
Engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, prepare for a propellant tank to be inserted into the cylinder in the background at left. The cylinder is one of two that mak...
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Contamination control engineers in a clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, evaluate a propellant tank before it is installed in NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft.
Prepping Europa Clipper's Propulsion Tanks
Mechanical engineers set up Europa Clipper's Wide Angle Camera outside of a thermal-vacuum chamber.
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Mechanical engineers set up Europa Clipper's Wide Angle Camera outside of a thermal-vacuum chamber.
Europa Imaging System Wide Angle Camera