NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft made a crucial maneuver, passing just 550 miles (884 km) above Mars as it continued its journey toward Jupiter’s ice-covered moon, Europa. The flyby was not just a scenic detour—it was a strategic move designed to adjust the spacecraft’s trajectory using Mars’ gravity, slingshotting it further into deep space.

A Billion-mile Journey Through The Solar System

Launched on October 14, 2024, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Europa Clipper is embarking on a 1.8-billion-mile (2.9-billion-kilometer) trek to the Jupiter system. The $5.2 billion mission is NASA’s first dedicated effort to explore Europa, a world that may harbor an underground ocean beneath its thick ice shell. Scientists believe this ocean could have the right conditions to support life.

The spacecraft itself is a giant among interplanetary probes. Spanning the length of a basketball court, its massive solar panels make it one of NASA’s largest planetary exploration missions.

The spacecraft was initially placed on a path with extra buffer space around Mars, a precaution to ensure that any early mission complications wouldn’t risk an unintended collision with the planet. But with all systems operating flawlessly, mission planners gave the green light for a precision flyby.

Using Mars As A Cosmic Slingshot

The flyby of Mars isn’t just about getting closer to the Red Planet. It’s a gravitational assist, a technique used in interplanetary navigation to alter a spacecraft’s speed and trajectory without using additional fuel. By skimming past Mars at precisely the right angle, Europa Clipper will borrow a little of the planet’s orbital energy, refining its course toward Jupiter and Europa.

“It’s like a game of billiards around the solar system” said Ben Bradley, a mission planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). “Everything has to line up — the geometry of the solar system has to be just right to pull it off.”

During its closest approach, which occurred yesterday at 12:57 p.m. EST (1757 GMT), the probe was traveling at approximately 15.2 miles per second (24.5 km per second). As it moved beyond Mars’ gravitational influence, its velocity slightly decreased to 14 miles per second (22.5 km per second), as reported by Space.com.

Testing Europa Clipper’s Scientific Instruments

While the Mars flyby is primarily a navigational maneuver, it also presents an opportunity to test some of the spacecraft’s key instruments before it reaches its final destination.

One of these is the thermal imager, which will be powered on to capture multicolored images of Mars. The data will help engineers calibrate the instrument and ensure it’s functioning properly.

Also, the radar instrument, one of Europa Clipper’s most critical tools, will undergo its first real test. This radar system is designed to penetrate Europa’s icy shell, searching for hidden subsurface lakes or an ocean beneath.

According to NASA, the radar’s antennas are so large that they couldn’t be fully tested on Earth. This flyby provides a rare chance to see them operate in space for the first time.