The star trackers — formally known as the stellar reference units — provide guidance by taking pictures ... investigating Europa’s composition; and characterizing the moon’s geology.

Earth might seem special in this regard but water is actually fairly abundant in our system, and Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is quickly becoming a prime candidate in the search for life.

NASA’s Europa Clipper craft was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket, aiming to conduct its first mission to study Jupiter’s icy ocean moon Europa. Photo: John Raoux/AP ...

"It's like a game of billiards around the solar system, flying by a couple of planets at just the right angle and timing to build up the energy we need to get to Jupiter and Europa." Today (March ...

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Today (March 1), NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft will fly past Mars, gliding just 550 miles (884 kilometers) above the Red Planet's surface. This maneuver is designed to ...