Europa, one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Early observations revealed its bright, icy surface, sparking curiosity about the details of its composition. NASA’s Pioneer and Voyager missions provided the first close-up images hinting at a subsurface ocean beneath the ice. Additional evidence for the presence of an ocean was supplied by the Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s. More recent observations have strengthened the idea that Europa’s putative subsurface ocean may harbor the conditions conducive for biological activity. These discoveries have made Europa a prime target for astrobiological exploration, and NASA’s Europa Clipper mission was designated to investigate Europa’s habitability.
This open-access Topical Collection serves as the primary reference for the mission’s science objectives, the instruments used to achieve them, the spacecraft carrying and operating the payload, and the overall mission design. The mission science is introduced with a comprehensive overview, followed by a detailed discussion of the synergistic science pursued by the four thematic working groups. Individual investigations are summarized separately, including descriptions of the instrument hardware, operational concepts, and resulting data products. The spacecraft hosting the payload, along with its key subsystems such as avionics, telecommunications, and solar arrays, is thoroughly described in the flight system paper. In addition, the mission design paper outlines the interplanetary trajectory, the planned tour of Jupiter orbits, and the Europa flybys; it also details the mission’s strategy for coordinated instrument observations on a carefully orchestrated schedule. This collection provides an integrated view of the mission’s components, highlighting how they work together to achieve groundbreaking science.
Please, start reading the editors' introduction: Haje Korth, Bonnie J. Buratti, David A. Senske.Europa Clipper: A Mission to Explore Ocean World Habitability – Editorial. Space Sci Rev 221, 25 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-025-01150-0