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NASA is giving space enthusiasts the opportunity to send their names to Jupiter’s moon since a personal visit is highly unlikely. The space agency is planning to send the Europa Clipper observation satellite to Jupiter’s icy moon in 2024. As part of the mission, NASA is inviting people to have their engraved names sent along with the satellite.

The Europa Clipper contract was awarded to SpaceX in July 2021, marking one of the first contracts taken away from the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The SLS faced delays and cost overruns, leading to the selection of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy instead.

The Clipper mission was mentioned in NASA’s budget request for fiscal year 2021, stating that the spacecraft’s construction was expected to be completed by November 2023. The cost driver for the mission was the unavailability of the SLS, with estimated storage costs ranging from million to million.

Launch costs for the SLS were also significantly higher compared to the Falcon Heavy, with the former estimated at 0 million per launch. However, using the Falcon Heavy would result in a longer arrival time at Europa, as the Clipper satellite would need to make gravity assist turns in space.

With less than a year until the launch, NASA is now inviting submissions for people to have their names engraved on the satellite for its journey to Europa. Europa, known to potentially have oceans beneath its surface, is considered a potential candidate for extraterrestrial life.

While the invitation allows fans to participate in the mission symbolically, some followers have expressed their desire for manned missions to Europa. Crewed deep space exploration missions, however, present various challenges such as spacecraft design requirements and solar radiation exposure. SpaceX’s Starship is being developed as a potential solution for these missions.

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Sources:
– Wccftech.com

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