Launched by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, NASA’s Europa Clipper mission embarks on a six-year journey to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa with the help of gravity and study its icy subsurface ocean.

NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn launches NASA’s Europa Clipper mission! Mission and launch managers are counting down the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This will be NASA’s second interplanetary mission for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, following the Psyche mission that NASA launched exactly one year ago yesterday. For this launch, Europa Clipper reuses side boosters from NASA’s Psyche mission.

Because the Europa Clipper would require so much energy to launch into an interplanetary orbit to Jupiter, this launch rocket would be completely expendable except for the recoverable fairing. This means that the first stage boosters will not be returning for this launch.

Although SpaceX has flown fully expendable Falcon Heavy rockets before, this is the first time NASA’s Launch Services Program has launched a mission for the agency with this Falcon Heavy configuration, although the program already has extensive experience with both disposable and reusable rockets. is starting.

In addition to not rebuilding any boosters, technicians removed only the components needed for reuse to boost the rocket’s performance, launch the largest planetary spacecraft NASA has ever built, and give it the power it needs to get to Jupiter.