On Monday after Hurricane Milton forced a delayed launch, a spacecraft that will hunt for signs of alien life on one of Jupiter’s icy moons blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Europa Clipper will now travel 1.8 billion miles to reach Europa, a deeply mysterious ice moon orbiting Jupiter. It won’t arrive until 2030 but what it finds could change what we know about life in our solar system.

BBC Climate and Science reporter Georgina Rannard details the ambitious mission and Dr Sara Seager, Professor of Planetary Science and Physics at MIT, explains how we can detect signs of life beyond earth.

We also hear from Britney Schmidt, a professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, who played a pivotal role in designing an ice-penetrating laser for the space mission. Plus, Planetary Microbiologist Mark Fox-Powell, shares the profound implications of potentially discovering life beyond our planet.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Kevyah Cardoso and Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Jupiter’s moon: Will we discover alien life beneath the ice? 14:37 Share

What in the World

Shownotes Transcript

Jupiter’s moon: Will we discover alien life beneath the ice?