Main content

Jupiter鈥檚 moon: Will we discover alien life beneath the ice?

How Nasa鈥檚 Europa Clipper Mission could change life鈥檚 origin story

On Monday after Hurricane Milton forced a delayed launch, a spacecraft that will hunt for signs of alien life on one of Jupiter鈥檚 icy moons blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Europa Clipper will now travel 1.8 billion miles to reach Europa, a deeply mysterious ice moon orbiting Jupiter. It won鈥檛 arrive until 2030 but what it finds could change what we know about life in our solar system.

大象传媒 Climate and Science reporter Georgina Rannard details the ambitious mission and Dr Sara Seager, Professor of Planetary Science and Physics at MIT, explains how we can detect signs of life beyond earth.

We also hear from Britney Schmidt, a professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, who played a pivotal role in designing an ice-penetrating laser for the space mission. Plus, Planetary Microbiologist Mark Fox-Powell, shares the profound implications of potentially discovering life beyond our planet.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Kevyah Cardoso and Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Wednesday 02:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Last Tuesday 17:50GMT
  • Wednesday 02:50GMT

Podcast