SpaceX, NASA Stand Down From Launch To Jupiter’s Moon To Investigate Alien Life

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NASA and SpaceX are standing down from the launch of the Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiter's icy moon. The launch was initially slated to take place on Thursday, and SpaceX encapsulated the spacecraft inside the Falcon Heavy rocket's payload fairing yesterday. The mission is a rare deep space launch for SpaceX, and it is the second launch of the Falcon Heavy in 2024 after the previous mission in June, which launched a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) weather satellite to geostationary orbit.

SpaceX Stands Down From Europa Clipper & Falcon Heavy Launch As Hurricanes Threaten Space Coast

The launch later this week would be one of the few after a Falcon 9 second stage anomaly at September end that forced SpaceX to ground its rocket. While working with SpaceX, the FAA confirmed over the weekend that while it did not clear the Falcon 9 to fly, the agency would allow SpaceX to launch the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera spacecraft today.

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As per the FAA, SpaceX was permitted to launch Hera since the Falcon 9 second stage would not reenter the Earth and therefore pose a minimal risk to public safety. SpaceX will also expend the Falcon 9 first stage booster for the Hera mission.

For the Europa Clipper mission, NASA and SpaceX still need to set a new launch date. October 10th was the first available launch window for Clipper, but according to NASA, additional windows are available for nearly a month starting Thursday. According to the space agency, these launch windows stretch out until November 6th.

According to NASA, hurricane Milton is currently near the Gulf of Mexico and is slated to move to the Space Coast later this week. The readiness review for the Clipper launch was conducted last week, following which teams