NASA will be providing live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Europa Clipper, the agency's mission to explore Jupiter's icy moon Europa. NASA is targeting launch at 12:31 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 10, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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.
Schedule of live events and the platforms they'll stream live:
Tuesday, Oct. 8
1 p.m. – In-person, one-on-one interviews, open to media credentialed for this launch.
3:30 p.m. – NASA's Europa Clipper science briefing with the following participants:
- Gina DiBraccio, acting director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters
- Robert Pappalardo, project scientist, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
- Haje Korth, deputy project scientist, Europa Clipper, Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
- Cynthia Phillips, project staff scientist, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
Wednesday, Oct. 9
2 p.m. – NASA Social panel at NASA Kennedy with the following participants:
- Kate Calvin, chief scientist and senior climate advisor, NASA Headquarters
- Caley Burke, Flight Design Analyst, NASA's Launch Services Program
- Erin Leonard, project staff scientist, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
- Juan Pablo León, systems testbed engineer, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
- Elizabeth Turtle, principal investigator, Europa Imaging System instrument, Europa Clipper, APL
3:30 p.m. – NASA's Europa Clipper prelaunch news conference (following completion of the Launch Readiness Review), with the following participants:
- NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
- Sandra Connelly, deputy associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Tim Dunn, launch director, NASA's Launch Services Program
- Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science Missions, SpaceX
- Jordan Evans, project manager, Europa Clipper, NASA JPL
- Mike McAleenan, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force
5:30 p.m. – NASA's Europa Clipper rollout show. Coverage will stream live on NASA+, the agency's website, the NASA app, and YouTube.
Thursday, Oct. 10
11:30 a.m. – NASA launch coverage in English begins on NASA+ and the agency's website.
11:30 a.m. – NASA launch coverage in Spanish begins on NASA+, the agency's website and NASA's Spanish YouTube channel.
12:31 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.
Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch
NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A approximately 18 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the mission on the NASA Kennedy newsroom YouTube channel. The feed will be uninterrupted until the launch broadcast begins on NASA+.
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 10 a.m., Oct. 10, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.
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