“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen” – Lenin.
Man’s (that is, Americans’) race to conquer space is following Lenin’s famous phrase to the letter: “there are decades in which nothing happens; and there are weeks in which decades happen.”
On Monday, NASA – in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX – launched its largest interplanetary exploration probe into space. The Europa Clipper is set to arrive at Jupiter in six years, in one of the most significant missions ever undertaken in an attempt to prove the existence of life beyond Earth.
A day earlier, SpaceX achieved a unique and spectacular feat in the history of space exploration.
In a scene immortalized on the internet, a rocket booster returned to base minutes after launch, landing vertically in reverse and being captured by mechanical arms – opening a new era for missions to the Moon and possibly Mars.
The Euro Clipper probe departed from NASA’s base in Florida carried by the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket – another demonstration of the relevance Musk’s company is assuming in America‘s space exploration programs.
The rocket, over 70 meters tall, consists of three reusable engines. Its thrust at liftoff is equivalent to that of 18 Boeing 747s.
The mission will cost the American space agency $5.2 billion and will investigate whether Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, presents conditions for life.
Europa is the fourth largest moon in the solar system. It has ice-covered oceans that theoretically could support life. In addition to water, the probe will seek to identify the presence of organic compounds.
After detaching from SpaceX’s rocket, the Europa Clipper will enter an orbit around the sun. In February, as it approaches Mars, it will gain an additional gravitational boost.
Then in December 2026, if all goes as planned, it will receive another gravitational push, this time in a flyby over Earth, before heading towards its destination.
NASA predicts that the probe will enter Jupiter’s orbit on April 11, 2030, after traveling 2.9 billion kilometers.
From there, it will make 49 orbital flybys of Europa over four years.
The probe carries nine exploration instruments, including cameras, radars, and spectrometers, all powered by solar energy. When open, its panels extend over 20 meters.
Scientists have found that Europa is in the Solar System’s ‘Goldilocks zone’ – worlds where there are regions ‘neither too hot nor too cold’ and therefore suitable for liquid water.
Studies indicate that Jupiter’s moon may have twice as much water as the combined volume of all Earth’s oceans.
There are also indications of water presence on two other moons of Jupiter, two moons of Saturn, one of Neptune, and possibly on Pluto.
NASA has become increasingly reliant on SpaceX for its missions. Over the past 14 years, there have been over 300 launches using the Falcon 9 rocket – the same ones used to orbit Starlink satellites.
SpaceX is also set to assist in the rescue of two astronauts stranded at the International Space Station after a Boeing spacecraft malfunction prevented their return to Earth in June.
Now, the best chance for the duo to return is on Musk’s company Crew Dragon capsule, with a return flight scheduled for February.
Last Sunday, SpaceX also achieved a unique feat. In a test, its Starship rocket took off from the Starbase in Texas, and minutes later the booster returned to its platform, landing vertically.
The first-stage booster – called Super Heavy – separated from the Starship three minutes after launch. It then re-ignited 13 of its engines and returned to the launch site.
The Starship continued its unmanned test flight and landed in the Indian Ocean.
Videos of the engineering feat went viral. It’s no wonder. The technology could mark the beginning of mass rocket reusability, speeding up and lowering the cost of space missions.
The Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever produced. It stands over 120 meters tall.
SpaceX has a $4 billion contract with NASA to take astronauts to the Moon on two Artemis program missions. There is no precise date for the first launch yet, but an estimate is the end of 2026.
Musk is a space conquest enthusiast. He founded SpaceX in 2001, and from the start, one of his declared plans was to colonize Mars – a project called Occupy Mars.
A recent New York Times article revealed that his company has a team designing modules for habitation, while another team is developing suits to face the hostile environment of the red planet.
According to the NYT, Musk has internally stated that in 20 years, there could be 1 million people living on Mars.
At the same time, Musk gains strategic – and spatial – relevance with Starlink, SpaceX’s subsidiary that provides high-speed internet via satellite.
The company has a ‘constellation’ of 7,000 small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), with the total possibly exceeding 34,000.
Starlink launched its 100th rocket into the air from a base in Florida today. A Falcon 9 orbited 23 satellites.
Two hours later, in California, another rocket was launched, this time with 20 Starlink satellites.
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Arwen Volkov, A graduate of the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland with a degree in International Finance, Arwen specializes in sustainable finance and green investments. She began her career at an investment bank in London, where she developed financing models for environmentally friendly projects. Known for her analytical and strategic thinking skills, Arwen is a sought-after financial consultant. In her spare time, she mentors fintech startups, contributing to their growth strategies. She is also a nature enthusiast and an amateur photographer.
