The component cannot withstand Jupiter's radiation.

There's so much radiation around Jupiter that even the transistors on NASA's Europa Clipper mission are having problems. What now?

WASHINGTON, DC – It should actually happen. space travel– The Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon Europa is set to launch in October 2024. It's a flagship mission for NASA, and one that researchers have been waiting for for a long time. But as things stand, there could be a delay. That's because of transistors, tiny electronic components that control the flow of electricity in the space probe. Like NASA CommunicatesThe agency learned that some parts cannot withstand the strong radiation in the Jupiter system.

Jupiter has the most intense radiation environment in the solar system. In fact, NASA ordered and installed special transistors for exactly that reason. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) are now testing the functionality of the installed transistors on behalf of NASA. Initial tests have shown that some of the transistors are likely to fail in the target radiation-rich environment, NASA wrote. The question now is how many transistors might be vulnerable and how they will behave during flight.

NASA's Europa Clipper: Transistors Couldn't Handle Jupiter's Radiation

The initial analysis is expected to be completed by the end of July. After that, NASA will have to decide what to do next on the $5 billion mission that researchers are eagerly anticipating. The spacecraft, which has already been completed, is currently being prepared for a rocket launch in October in parallel with the tests. How so? magazine Sciences mentionedIt seems that replacing transistors is not easy. The aluminum-zinc electronics casing of the “Europa Clipper” has been sealed since October 2023.

The article continues: “If there are no signs that the faulty transistors will cause a catastrophic failure, the agency will likely try to move forward with the launch — although there are windows available in the next two years.”

Is there life around Jupiter's moon Europa?

After launch, the Europa Clipper spacecraft is expected to fly 2.6 billion kilometers across the solar system until it reaches the giant planet Jupiter in April 2030. The plan is for Europa Clipper to orbit Jupiter and make about 50 close flybys of Europa. Nine instruments on board will collect data on the moon’s atmosphere, ice crust and subglacial ocean. Research suggests that life may exist in the ocean beneath Europa’s ice crust. Europa Clipper is an astrobiology mission designed to find out if the ocean could ever support life. (unpaid invoice)