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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Europa Clipper launches on its journey to Jupiter’s icy moon
NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft launched today aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Europa Clipper: A mission backed by advocates
Europa Clipper will soon head for Jupiter's icy, potentially habitable moon. Without the advocacy efforts of The Planetary Society and our members, the mission may never have been possible.
Could Europa Clipper find life?
For a mission that doesn’t aim to find alien life, Europa Clipper may come surprisingly close.
The Europa Clipper launch: What to expect
NASA is preparing to launch its flagship mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa. Launching sometime in October 2024 and arriving in 2030, the mission will explore the icy world with a subsurface ocean that scientists think could have conditions favorable to life.
The best places to search for life in our Solar System
From Earth's neighboring planets to distant moons, these are the best places to look for alien life.
What to look forward to in space in 2024
A total solar eclipse and the launch of Europa Clipper are on our list of cosmic events to get excited about this year.
What are Jupiter’s Galilean moons?
An introduction to Jupiter's moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
The scientific truth is out there
The real science of aliens, the policy implications of ET, and new views of worlds beyond our own.
Juice launches on mission to explore Jupiter's icy moons
The spacecraft will explore Jupiter's moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, all three of which may harbor subsurface oceans.
Juice launch and mission preview: What to expect
Juice is ready to launch on a mission to uncover the secrets of Jupiter's icy moons.
What the search for aliens can learn from life on Earth
When searching for extraterrestrial life, we have to base our hunt on what we know about life on our own planet. This may seem limiting, but there's a lot we can learn from the astonishingly diverse lifeforms we have here on Earth.
Our favorite moons of the Solar System
A brief guide to eight of our Solar System's most fascinating and scientifically promising moons.
By Jove! (Literally)
Jupiter’s moons have always been exciting to explore, and a new era of Jovian moon research is about to begin.
Best space pictures of the month: October 2022
Stunning views of Europa and the Eagle Nebula headline our roundup of space images released last month.
Look and see
New views of Europa, favorite sights from JWST, looking at the Cosmos from the air, and other ways to visually soak up our Universe.
Join the exoparty
With new instruments and a growing number of discoveries, exoplanet and exomoon research is just getting started.
Dive into these ocean worlds
Intriguing moons that may hide water beneath their surfaces, and what it takes to visit them.
Where are the ocean worlds in our solar system?
Ocean worlds are among the best candidates to search for life.
A fascination with Europa
A look back at when the Voyager spacecraft sparked a love affair with an ocean moon.
Mind-blowing pictures of the solar system's most volcanic worlds
An up-close look at volcanoes in space and how they differ from those on Earth.