NASA mission "Europa Clipper" relies on red-white-red technology

NASA plans to launch the "Europa Clipper" mission in 2024 to explore Jupiter's moon Europa and search for traces of life there. The U.S. space agency is relying on technology from Vienna to prepare for this: the transport on Earth will take place in a mobile clean room from the Viennese space technology company RUAG Space Austria, which also supplied the special equipment for rotating and turning the probe. This equipment is the second direct order from NASA, the company announced.

Jupiter's moon Europa is covered by a layer of water ice several kilometers thick. Beneath it is a vast ocean of liquid water. Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California (USA) suspect that conditions there could make life possible.

Scientists and technicians there are working on the "Europa Clipper" probe, which is being rotated and turned for this purpose using special equipment from Vienna. In addition, a specially equipped high-tech container developed by RUAG Space Austria ensures safe transport from the production facility in California to one of the US spaceports. "Our container is a mobile mini clean room that meets the highest standards of safety and cleanliness," says Andreas Buhl, managing director of RUAG Space Austria, which claims to be Austria's largest space technology company with around 250 employees.