The Europa Clipper mission was initially scheduled for launch on Oct. 10.
NASA and SpaceX have delayed the launch of the Europa Clipper mission due to Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall in Florida this week, the space agency stated on Oct. 6.
The Europa Clipper was initially scheduled for launch on Oct. 10 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to
investigate potential signs of life on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.
“@NASA and @SpaceX are standing down from the Oct. 10 launch attempt of the agency’s @EuropaClipper mission due to anticipated hurricane conditions in the area,” the space agency
stated on X.
NASA said the storm is expected to bring high winds and heavy rainfall to Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island on Florida’s east coast later this week, prompting safety measures ahead of the severe weather.
“The safety of launch team personnel is our highest priority, and all precautions will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft,” Tim Dunn, senior launch director at NASA’s Launch Services Program, said in a
statement on Oct. 6.
NASA has not yet confirmed a new launch date for the mission but stated that launch opportunities will remain open until Nov. 6, according to the statement.
The space agency stated that its recovery teams will assess the safety of the spaceport once the storm has passed, as well as an inspection of the launch processing facilities for any storm-related damage.
“Once we have the ‘all-clear’ followed by facility assessment and any recovery actions, we will determine the next launch opportunity for this NASA flagship mission,” Dunn stated.
As of early Monday, Hurricane Milton has rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds reaching 160 mph,
according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“If the storm stays on the current track, it will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years,” the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay
stated on Oct. 8.
FEMA has
warned of an increasing risk of “life-threatening” storm surges and wind impacts as the storm nears the west coast of Florida. It said the storm could impact areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm.
Mandatory
evacuation orders have been issued for several parts of Florida, including Charlotte County, Citrus County, Collier County, among others.
Round-the-clock operations to clear remaining debris from Hurricane Helene are also still ongoing, including with the help of thousands of Florida’s National Guardsmen. Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Oct. 7 that more than 12,000 cubic yards of debris have already been removed within the last 36 hours.
The governor also said that more than 30,000 linemen have been prepared in anticipation of power outages. Some of them are coming from as far as California due to ongoing power restoration efforts from Hurricane Helene in other states.
T.J. Muscaro contributed to this report.
