Severe weather conditions in Florida force NASA and SpaceX to delay the launch of the Europa Clipper mission, which was designed to explore Jupiter's icy moon
NASA andSpaceX postponed the Europa Clipper launch due to Hurricane Milton threatening the region.
NASA and SpaceX are canceling an attempt to launch the Europa Clipper mission on Thursday, October 10 due to hurricane conditions in the area. Hurricane Milton is expected to move from the Gulf of Mexico this week east of the Space Coast. Strong winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island areas on the East Coast of Florida. Launch crews secured the Europa Clipper spacecraft in a SpaceX hangar at the complex The 39A launches at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida are preparing for the severe weather, and the center has started preparations for a hurricane.
"The safety of our launch crew members is our top priority, and every precaution will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft," said Tim Dunn, senior launch manager for NASA's Launch Services Program.
On October 4, the Europa Clipper was moved from a facility at its space center Fueled for launch SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket is in the hangar as part of final launch preparations for its journey to Jupiter's icy moon. The spacecraft's launch period opens on October 10, but will have launch opportunities until November 6.
After the storm passes, recovery teams will assess the spacecraft's safety before workers return to work. After that, launch teams will assess the condition of the launch preparation facilities and look for damage caused by the storm.
"Once we receive the green light followed by an assessment of the facility and recovery operations, if any, we will determine the next launch opportunity for this flagship NASA mission," Dunn said.
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