NASA’s Europa Clipper is on a mission to explore the icy moon of Jupiter in search of conditions suitable for life. To support this quest, the spacecraft recently received a key component: a massive dish-shaped high-gain Antenna.

The high-gain antenna, stretching 10 feet across the spacecraft, is the largest among a suite of antennas on Europa Clipper. It will play a crucial role as the spacecraft investigates Europa, which is located 444 million miles away from Earth. One of the main goals of the mission is to gather more information about Europa’s subsurface ocean, which could potentially support life.

Once the spacecraft reaches Jupiter, the high-gain antenna will direct its radio beam towards Earth. These antennas are designed to create a narrow and concentrated beam, allowing the spacecraft to transmit high-powered signals back to NASA’s Deep Space Network on Earth. This will enable a high rate of data transmission, providing a wealth of scientific information.

The precision-engineered antenna was carefully installed in several stages at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Matthew Bray, the designer and lead engineer for the antenna, expressed his confidence in its performance, stating that it had successfully passed all of its stand-alone tests. The upcoming tests will involve looping radio signals through the antenna to verify its functionality.

Bray’s work on the antenna began in 2014, and over the past year, it has undergone testing at various NASA facilities, including Langley Research Center and Goddard Space Flight Center. Finally, it arrived at JPL for installation on the spacecraft, which is scheduled for launch in October 2024.

To visually showcase the installation process, a video was released showing the Europa Clipper team lifting and installing the high-gain antenna. This video provides an insight into the meticulous work done at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Europa Clipper aims to collect a vast amount of data during its mission. Nine science instruments on board will capture high-resolution images, thermal images, reflected infrared light, and ultraviolet light readings to study the geology, surface, and atmospheric composition of Europa. Ice-penetrating radar will be used to determine the depth of the subsurface ocean and the thickness of the ice crust above it.

The high-gain antenna will facilitate the transmission of this data back to Earth, allowing for an extended period of communication between the spacecraft and scientists. It will surpass the capabilities of NASA’s Galileo probe, which concluded its Jupiter mission in 2003.

Simmie Berman, the radio frequency module manager at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, played a crucial role in ensuring the proper integration and orientation of the antenna during the installation process. She expressed her excitement about the project, emphasizing its potential to expand humanity’s knowledge.

With the successful installation of the high-gain antenna, Europa Clipper moves closer to its mission to explore Europa and unlock its secrets. The spacecraft will undergo additional tests and preparations before embarking on its journey to the outer solar system.