NASA has reported that the power transistors in the Europa Clipper probe’s power control unit are unable to withstand the expected level of radiation. The block is in a protective enclosure and was sealed in October 2023. If a decision is made to replace the components, the probe’s October launch to the Jupiter system could be delayed by up to two years. Otherwise, the $5 billion mission will not be carried out.

The Europa Clipper probe is scheduled to set off for the Jupiter system in October 2024 and arrive there in 2030. During the 3.5-year scientific work in the system, the probe will make 50 close passes of the giant planet, during which it will be able to merge with its main target, Europa, the moon of Jupiter. Europa is of interest to scientists because of the possibility that the world ocean is under a multi-kilometer ice shield. The probe’s instruments should try to detect traces of biological life known to us on Earth in Europa. In a few billion years at most, our Sun will shed its shell and destroy the Earth, so the Jupiter system could become a new home for Earthlings, if, of course, there are oceans of water there.

As reported now on NASA, “Similar to MOSFET electronic devices” The Europa Clipper power unit’s field-effect transistors were found to be sensitive to radiation doses lower than those encountered by the probe at Jupiter. The gas giant’s magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s, capable of accelerating charged particles to enormous energies that could theoretically disable the probe’s semiconductor devices. NASA announced the problem in May, and now the agency’s labs are conducting a rapid check of similar transistors for radiation resistance. The transistor manufacturer is called Infineon Technologies. It is not known what causes such a coating.

If the Europa Clipper launch has to be postponed, the agency will have a two-year window to send the probe to the Jupiter system. Fortunately, the plaque engraved with instructions for aliens on where to look for life in the solar system will not be damaged by any of the programs. It is not afraid of radiation.