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Mission Animation: Deployment

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

This animation segment shows deployment of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft after launch.

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 Engineers inspect Europa Clipper’s narrow-angle camera.
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Two workers are standing beside the Europa Clipper’s narrow-angle camera (NAC), which is on a metal platform with rods sticking straight up at the corners of the platform. The workers are covered head-to-toe in mostly white protective clothing called bunny suits, and they are wearing bright blue face masks. One worker is leaning toward the NAC and pointing to the NAC, which is wrapped in silver-colored insulating material. The NAC has a round base about the size of tire. The lens is sticking out at an angle.
Europa Clipper's Narrow-Angle Camera Delivered to JPL
Europa Clipper’s thermal imager sits in its protective enclosure in the cleanroom at Arizona State University. 
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Europa Clipper’s thermal imager sits in its protective enclosure in the cleanroom at Arizona State University.
Preparing Thermal Imager for First Light Test
The nadir deck for NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft. 
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Nadir deck shown in clean room.
Europa Clipper's Nadir Deck
Engineers stand next to Europa Clipper's wide-angle camera in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, following its delivery in June 2022. 
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Eleven engineers wearing full white coveralls and masks stand around a metallic table in a clean room. Europa Clipper's wide-angle camera rests on the metallic table. Several engineers are giving a thumbs up hand gesture, indicating that the instrument has successfully undergone functional tests following its delivery to JPL.
Europa Imaging System Wide-Angle Camera Delivered to JPL
NASA hosted a Science Chat May 14 to discuss the latest analysis of Jupiter’s moon Europa and its status as one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for life. 
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NASA hosted a Science Chat May 14 to discuss the latest analysis of Jupiter’s moon Europa
NASA Hosts Live Science Chat about Europa Findings
As infrared light enters Europa Clipper’s MISE instrument, mirrors bounce the light into its calcium fluoride (CaF2) lens (flight model shown), which directs the light onto a diffraction grating.
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As infrared light enters Europa Clipper’s MISE instrument, mirrors bounce the light into its calcium fluoride (CaF2) lens (flight model shown), which directs the light onto a diffraction grating.
MISE Dyson CaF2 Lens
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)
An engineer inspects the radio frequency (RF) panel of NASA’s Europa Clipper.
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An engineer inspects the radio frequency (RF) panel of NASA’s Europa Clipper.
Inspecting Europa Clipper's RF Panel
The Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM) sensor. At left is the interior of the sensor that will measure Europa’s magnetic field, along with the sensor’s pigtail harness. 
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close-up view of the Europa Clipper magnetometer's sensor
Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM) Sensor
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
Could a liquid water ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa have the ingredients to support life? Here's how NASA's mission to Europa would find out.
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Video about Jupiter's moon Europa
Alien Ocean
Engineers inspect Europa Clipper's ultraviolet spectrograph in a cleanroom at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
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Engineers inspect Europa Clipper's ultraviolet spectrograph in a cleanroom at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Engineers Inspect Ultraviolet Spectrograph
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
Marc Miller, a mechanical assembly technician at the University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), gauges the depth of ceramic pins installed in the SUrface Du...
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Marc Miller, a mechanical assembly technician at the University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), gauges the depth of ceramic pins installed in the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) instrument.
SUDA Assembly
This animation segment shows NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft leaving Earth. 
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An animation showing the rocket carrying the Europa Clipper spacecraft leaving Earth.
Mission Animation: Launch
The Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) flight instrument in early fall 2021, in its final configuration.
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The Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) flight instrument in early fall 2021, in its final configuration.
Europa-UVS Final Configuration
One of Europa Clipper’s star tracker electronics boxes (the bronze-colored cube at center) sits in a JPL clean room for testing.
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One of Europa Clipper’s star tracker electronics boxes (the bronze-colored cube at center) sits in a JPL clean room for testing in October 2021. After the spacecraft’s launch in October 2024, the star tracker will autonomously identify stars to determine Europa Clipper’s orientation in space. The device is essential for precisely pointing the spacecraft’s science instruments and communication antennas.
Star Tracker Electronics Box
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...
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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
Engineers install 2-foot-wide reaction wheels onto the main body of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The orbiter is in its assembly, test, and launch oper...
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Two engineers in white body coveralls, gloves, and masks are seen framing the image, with one engineer facing towards the camera on the left and one facing away from the camera on the right. They are seen holding a black, two-foot-wide circular reaction wheel, which is in the center of the image. The engineers are installing the reaction wheel to the main body of the spacecraft, which is visible looming above the engineers and the reaction wheel. To the back right of the reaction wheel that is being installed, another reaction wheel that has already been installed is visible.
NASA's Europa Clipper Gets Its Reaction Wheels
Mihaela Ballarotto samples Europa Clipper's propulsion module for planetary protection cleanliness prior to harness installation. 
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sampling of the propulsion module in the clean room
Europa Clipper Propulsion Module
An engineer makes an electrical connection to the sensor head for Europa Clipper’s dust analyzer.
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An engineer in white full-body coveralls, a mask, and light blue gloves is shown attaching a wire to the SUDA sensor head. Only the top of the sensor head is visible, and is seen on the lower right portion of the image. The sensor head is gold in color. In the distance, engineers work on other components in the clean room.
Assembling the Sensor Head for Europa Clipper's Dust Analyzer
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
Europa Clipper: Journey to an Ocean World Poster
Europa Clipper engineers use mixed reality (also known as augmented reality, or AR) headsets to examine Europa Clipper’s avionics module assembly in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Europa Clipper engineers use mixed reality (also known as augmented reality, or AR) headsets to examine Europa Clipper’s avionics module assembly in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Augmented Reality Avionics in the Clean Room
The propulsion module harness, installed onto a bake-out fixture, is rolled up to the propulsion module in preparation for transfer and installation. The harness is the cabling that connects all of...
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people working on the spacecraft in the clean room
Europa Clipper Propulsion Module
Students will explore the practical applications of exponents and division to investigate what it takes for NASA spacecraft to travel deep into the solar system using only solar power.
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NASA's Juno spacecraft is visible in front of Jupiter, which appears as a large planet looming in the distance. All three of Juno's solar arrays are visible
Classroom Activity: Calculating Solar Power in Space