It will take Europa Clipper 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter, where it will slip into orbit around giant gas planet and sneak close to Europa during dozens of radiation-drenched flybys

A NASA spacecraft has blasted off on a quest to explore Jupiter's moon Europa and reveal whether its hidden ocean might hold the keys to life.

Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crust where an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface

A massive NASA spacecraft is ready to set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa. The craft named Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crust and determine whether conditions there could support life. Scientists are pretty sure there’s a vast hidden ocean at Europa, making the moon one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth. Due to launch this month from Florida, Europa Clipper won’t search for life. Instead, it will look for the ingredients necessary for life to exist. It will take 5 1/2 years for the spacecraft to get there.

A massive NASA spacecraft is ready to set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa.