NASA Postpones Europa Clipper Launch as Hurricane Milton Takes Aim at Cape Canaveral

Kennedy Space Center is battening down the hatches as the storm gathers strength over the Gulf of Mexico.

Tuesday, October 08, 2024 at 09:18 AM ET

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Hurricane Milton — pictured here in a NOAA satellite image — has intensified at near-record pace, fueled by abnormally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. [Credit: CIRA/NOAA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Europa Clipper mission launch has been postponed due to Hurricane Milton, which is approaching Florida's Space Coast.
The spacecraft has been secured at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), which is implementing its hurricane preparedness plan, including deploying a "ride-out team" for the duration of the storm.
Hurricane Milton is expected to weaken to a Category 1 by the time it reaches KSC, but officials anticipate potential damage such as power outages and localized flooding.
A new launch date for the Europa Clipper mission, which aims to investigate Europa for signs of life and has a launch window through November 6, will be determined after post-storm facility assessments are completed.

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NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will have to wait out Hurricane Milton before it begins its five-year journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.

The spacecraft had been scheduled to launch Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The highly anticipated mission is seeking to find out whether Europa and its subsurface ocean could support life.

Mark Zastrow

Mark got his bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from the University of Minnesota and master’s degrees in astronomy and science journalism from Boston University. At BU, he researched topics ranging from Jupiter’s magnetosphere and Enceladus’ plume to stellar activity on M dwarfs and the migration of hot Jupiters. Before joining Astronomy, he freelanced in Seoul, where he covered stories including AlphaGo’s victory, air pollution, dog cloning, research misconduct, and the MERS and COVID-19 outbreaks. He was also the science contributor for tbs eFM’s This Morning, the flagship news program on Korea’s largest English-language radio station, and editor of a South Korean politics newsletter from Korea Exposé. Mark lives in Milwaukee with his fiancé, Katelyn, and their two Jindo mixes, Gguri and Ahto. Mark is a licensed pilot, though these days, you’ll find him in his free time hiked out on his Laser sailboat on Lake Michigan or on the hill between turns 5 and 6 at Road America cheering on his beloved Indy cars.