NASA has announced the postponement of the launch of the Europa Clipper mission scheduled for October 10. The reason was the approaching to the coast of Florida hurricane Milton.
Europa Clipper is the largest and heaviest automated vehicle to be launched by NASA into interplanetary space. Its target is Europa: one of Jupiter’s largest moons, with a vast ocean lurking beneath its icy surface. The Europa Clipper mission will have to study this very unusual body and determine the main characteristics of its hidden ocean. This will help to assess its viability.
A Falcon Heavy rocket will be used to launch the Europa Clipper. The ballistic window for the flight to Europa will open on October 10. But, as it has already become obvious, the launch is quite unlikely to take place in the next few days. Hurricane Milton is the cause.
Hurricane Milton developed on October 5 in the Gulf of Mexico. By October 7, it had intensified to a maximum fifth category. The storm is expected to impact the densely populated city of Tampa in Florida on October 9. Milton is expected to weaken to a category three by this point. But it still has the potential to cause massive damage. Because of this, Florida residents have been asked to prepare for evacuations, which could be the largest in recent years.
NASA is also preparing for the impact of the disaster. Falcon Heavy and Europa Clipper were sheltered in SpaceX’s hangar. NASA specialists also conducted activities to prepare the infrastructure of the Kennedy Space Center. Forecasters expect high winds and heavy rains in the Cape Canaveral area.
As soon as the storm is over, experts will assess the safety of the spaceport before personnel return to work. Next, engineers will assess the equipment for storm damage. After that, NASA will announce a new launch date for Europa Clipper.
The Hurricane Milton warnings came just 10 days after Hurricane Helen hit Florida. It became the most lethal in the U.S. since Katrina in 2005. The victims of “Helen” were several hundred people, and the damage caused is estimated at more than 30 billion dollars.
