SpaceX Signs Contract with NASA to Launch Jupiter Moon Exploration Probe

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. space company SpaceX has reportedly agreed to participate in NASA's Jupiter moon Europa exploration project and has signed a contract for the launch of the probe.

According to foreign media including Bloomberg on the 25th (local time), NASA signed a $178 million (approximately 204.9 billion KRW) contract with SpaceX for the launch of the 'Europa Clipper' probe the day before. The 'Europa Clipper' probe is scheduled to be launched in October 2024 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX's heavy-lift rocket, the Falcon Heavy.

Europa is a celestial body known to contain a large amount of water beneath a thick ice layer and is considered one of the planets in the solar system with a very high possibility of harboring life. NASA stated that through this Europa exploration, it will produce high-resolution images of Europa's surface and identify surface materials, with key objectives including searching for signs of geological activity, measuring the thickness of the ice layer, and assessing the depth and salinity of the ocean.

Europa is located approximately 390 million miles (about 627 million km) from Earth, so the exploration journey is expected to take more than five years, Bloomberg reported. By securing this contract, SpaceX has not only been solely selected as the manufacturer of the lunar lander for NASA's Artemis program in April but has also secured the exclusive contract for the Jupiter probe launch.

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