NASA’s fiscal year 2021 budget request estimated that using a commercial launch vehicle could save the agency over $1,500,000,000 compared to using a Space Launch System rocket for Europa Clipper.
NASA directed the Europa Clipper project to halt all planning for launching the spacecraft on SLS and to prepare to use a commercial vehicle one month after the passage of the 2021 omnibus bill.
The 2021 spending bill directed NASA to use SLS for Europa Clipper only if the SLS was available and torsional loading analysis confirmed Clipper’s appropriateness for SLS.
NASA assigned Europa Clipper Category 3 requirements for launch services, requiring candidate vehicles to have performed at least three successful launches including at least two consecutive successful launches.
The fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill passed by Congress in December 2020 gave NASA flexibility to choose an alternative launch vehicle for Europa Clipper instead of requiring the Space Launch System.
The Europa Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2024.
NASA issued a formal request for proposals on 2021-03-05 to select a commercial launch vehicle for Europa Clipper.
NASA set a 2021-02-08 deadline for responses to its sources sought solicitation and released a follow-up notice on 2021-02-02 announcing intent to issue a formal request for proposals (RFP) for launching Europa Clipper.
A 2021-01-25 memo from NASA’s Planetary Missions Program Office directed the agency to immediately cease efforts to maintain SLS compatibility for Europa Clipper and move forward with a commercial launch vehicle.
NASA estimated that using a commercial launch vehicle for Europa Clipper could save as much as $1,500,000,000.
The planned Europa Clipper trajectory is a Mars-Earth Gravity Assist (MEGA) with a 21-day launch window in October 2024 and an expected arrival at Jupiter in April 2030.
A July 2020 briefing described an August 2024 launch window using SLS that would get Europa Clipper to Jupiter in no more than three years without flybys.
The fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill directed that SLS be used for Europa Clipper only if the SLS is available and if torsional loading analysis has confirmed Clipper’s appropriateness for SLS.
The Space Launch System had been the preferred vehicle for Europa Clipper because it could deliver the spacecraft to Jupiter much more quickly than a trajectory requiring planetary flybys.
The launch for Europa Clipper was planned to take place during a three-week window in October 2024.
NASA’s budget proposals sought to launch Europa Clipper on a commercial vehicle to save the agency as much as $1,500,000,000 and free SLS vehicles for the Artemis lunar exploration program.
A July 2020 briefing to a National Academies committee presented a trajectory for Europa Clipper that included a launch in October 2024 followed by a Mars flyby in February 2025 and an Earth flyby in December 2026, with Jupiter orbit insertion in April 2030.
The House appropriations committee's report accompanying its 2021 spending bill recommends using a launch vehicle for Europa Clipper that reduces overall mission costs and complexity and expedites science results in concert with the decadal survey.
Using a commercial alternative to SLS for Europa Clipper could save up to $1,500,000,000.
The earliest an SLS would be available for launching Europa Clipper is 2025, while the Europa Clipper spacecraft will be ready to launch by 2024.