Jupiter's moon "Europa" probe launched...Do you want me to find a clue to life?

[Anchor]
NASA's unmanned probe Europa Clipper has been launched to investigate whether life can live on Jupiter's moons.

The probe will fly close to Jupiter's moons starting in 2030 to closely examine the possibility of life.

Reporter Kim Ji-young reports.

[Reporter]

"5-4-3-2-1 Ignition… Shoot!"

The U.S. space agency, NASA's unmanned spacecraft 'Europa Clipper' has begun its long journey to Jupiter, leaving the launch pad vigorously.

The probe, which was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in the U.S. early this morning, began its own flight after separating from the rocket and succeeded in communicating.

After that, it will gradually speed up around Mars and Earth and fly about 2.9 billion kilometers over five and a half years to enter Jupiter's orbit in April 2030.

It boasts the largest size of NASA's all-time planetary probes, with solar panels alone more than 30m for long-distance voyages.

[Jordan Evans / 'Europa Clipper' Project Manager: We had to build huge solar panels to capture Jupiter's small amount of sunlight and power the spacecraft.]

Europa Clipper's key mission is to look closely at Jupiter's moon 'Europa' to see if it has conditions for life to live,

We plan to fly close at an altitude of 25 kilometers above the surface, the closest distance we can reach, and scan and map almost the entire satellite.

[Gina DiBracchio / Acting Director of Planetary Science at NASA] Given everything we've actually learned about the conditions needed for life, Clippers will tell us if Europa has all the ingredients needed for life.]

Scientists estimate that a salinity sea exists under a thick layer of ice on the surface of Europa, which has an environment that can accommodate life.

In particular, attention is being paid to whether "Europa Clipper" can open a new chapter in the exploration of extraterrestrial life, as it believes that organic compounds, which are essential components of life, can exist.

I'm Kim Jiyoung of YTN.



video editing; Han Kyung-hee

screen provided;SPACEX/NASA