NASA’s Europa Multiple-flyby Mission is scheduled to launch in the 2020s to explore the habitability of the moon passing over the moon 45 times while in orbit around Jupiter.
NASA has invited ESA to provide a 250-kg class flight element (TBD) to contribute the mission. This opens an opportunity for ESA to directly participate in the unique Europa exploration mission of the coming decades. ESA states that the potential contribution should underway an internal assessment within the agency’s medium class mission line (M5). It should provide a significant additional science return to help the main goal of the mission, which is determine the habitability of the moon.
Europa M5 initiative emerges to propose to ESA and NASA a mission complement, that will:
– Provide the best possible science return
– Prove to be technically flyable
– Be well within the budget limits of an ESA M-class mission (550 M€)
So far, 5 vehicle options are considered and strong science is approached from 6 science themes connected with the philosophy of the mission. The aim of this workshop is to perform crossed analysis, promote discussion, and prepare synthesis and recommendations in order to elaborate the M5 proposal.
Other meetings related to the Initiative are specially dedicated to the spacecraft options :
Meeting 1# The First Akon Penetrator Workshop
(Royal Astronomical Society, London. January 21, 2016)
Meeting 2# Europa Initiative workshop #2: Small sat/Free flyer/Soft lander options
(IRAP, Toulouse, France, February 22-24, 2016)