NASA has decided to offer Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (i.e. SpaceX) a $ 178 million contract to launch a satellite to observe the ice-covered moon of Jupiter Europa. . The satellite, dubbed the Europa Clipper, was originally intended to be launched by The Boeing Company with a space launcher (SLS) launcher developed exclusively for NASA. However, due to scheduling constraints, the space agency had already changed its mind about using SLS last year, arguing that switching to a commercial vehicle could save up to $ 1.5 billion in Clipper mission start-up and other costs.
SpaceX will complete the Europa Clipper mission starting in October 2024 with a Falcon Heavy rocket. NASA requires that the rocket selected for the Clipper be capable of carrying more than six tons of payload with the Mars-Earth Gravity Auxiliary Track (MEGA). The announcement is no accident, as the Clipper weighs 6,065 kilograms. MEGA will give some momentum to the spacecraft as it embarks on its six-year journey to the moon of Jupiter. by the time you get to your destination. One of these would have to be carried out from Earth, Mars and Venus before gathering the energy it needs to reach a Europe 628 million kilometers from Earth.
However, the most risky Venus flight in this mission might be missed. NASA’s press release did not mention Venus, a complementary technology using the Orbital ATK 48BV kick stage solid propellant rocket, at the time of the award or among the calls for proposals. Using the gravitational sling effect of the planets is dangerous due to the high level of radiation in the inner Solar System, which requires shading the spacecraft and increasing the launch weight.
Using Falcon Heavy, the journey takes longer. This is because the SpaceX heavy rocket is capable of generating five million pounds of thrust on takeoff. In contrast, the SLS, classified as a super-heavy launch vehicle, is capable of thrusting £ 8.4 million. These are two launchers that NASA may have considered for the Clipper mission.
Using SpaceX will save NASA up to $ 1.5 billion in launch costs, the space agency outlined. Congress early last year. This savings is not only due to the reusability of the Falcon Heavy – the SpaceX rocket reuses all of its first stages – but also to lower storage costs.
Scheduling issues with SLS that drives NASA’s Artemis program they made it uncertain whether a rocket would be available at the time of the Clipper launch, even though the spacecraft is projected to be ready to fly by 2023. The longer the SLS rocket is delayed, the higher the storage costs for NASA, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This is because if the Space Agency had committed itself to the mission with SLS and no missile was available, it would have had to bear the cost of building a new missile from the ground up.
As for SpaceX In fact, the company plans to replace both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy with Starship’s next-generation launcher system. Starship generates more than sixteen pounds of thrust and is the backbone of the company’s plans to carry out interplanetary missions, including missions to the surface of Mars.
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