NASA Updates Coverage for Europa Clipper Following Hurricane Milton

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Oct 12, 2024, 22:26 ET

WASHINTON, Oct. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Europa Clipper, the agency's mission to explore Jupiter's icy moon Europa. NASA now is targeting launch no earlier than 12:06 p.m. EDT, Monday, Oct. 14, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

An artist's concept of NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Beyond Earth, Jupiter's moon Europa is considered one of the solar system's most promising potentially habitable environments. After an approximately 1.8-billion-mile journey, Europa Clipper will enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030, where the spacecraft will conduct a detailed survey of Europa to determine whether the icy world could have conditions suitable for life. Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It carries a suite of nine instruments along with a gravity experiment that will investigate an ocean beneath Europa's surface, which scientists believe contains twice as much liquid water as Earth's oceans.

For an updated schedule of live events and the platforms they'll stream on, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/europaclipperlive

The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. NASA's media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: [email protected].

NASA's mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Sunday, Oct. 13
8:30 a.m. – NASA's Europa Clipper launch preview. Coverage will stream on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

9:30 a.m. – NASA's Europa Clipper science teleconference with the following participants:

Gina DiBraccio, acting director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters
Robert Pappalardo, project scientist, Europa Clipper, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Haje Korth, deputy project scientist, Europa Clipper, Applied Physics Laboratory
Cynthia Phillips, project staff scientist, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL

Coverage of the science teleconference will stream live on the agency's website.

Media may ask questions during both teleconferences via phone. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom no later than one hour before the start of the event at: [email protected].

4:15 p.m. – NASA's Europa Clipper prelaunch teleconference following completion of the Launch Readiness Review. Please follow the Europa Clipper blog for updates on time. Participants include:

NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
Sandra Connelly, deputy associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Jordan Evans, project manager, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
Tim Dunn, senior launch director, NASA's Launch Services Program
Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science Missions, SpaceX
Mike McAleenan, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force

Coverage of the prelaunch teleconference will stream live on the agency's website.

Monday, Oct. 14
11 a.m. – NASA launch coverage in English begins on NASA+.

11 a.m. – NASA launch coverage in Spanish begins on NASA+, and NASA's Spanish YouTube channel.

12:06 p.m. – Launch

Audio Only Coverage
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," countdown activities without NASA+ media launch commentary, is carried on 321-867-7135.

NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the agency's website. Coverage will include links to live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 9:30 a.m. EDT, Oct. 13, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.

Follow countdown coverage on the Europa Clipper blog. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: [email protected] o Messod Bendayan: [email protected].

Attend Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA's virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.

Watch, Engage on Social Media
Let people know you're following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #EuropaClipper and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @EuropaClipper, @NASASolarSystem, @NASAJPL, @NASAKennedy, @NASA_LSP
Facebook: NASA, NASA's Europa Clipper, NASA's JPL, NASA's Launch Services Program
Instagram: @NASA, @nasasolarsystem, @NASAKennedy, @NASAJPL