CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA spacecraft left Monday on a quest to explore Jupiter’s alluring moon Europa and reveal whether the vast hidden ocean could hold the keys to life.

It will last Europa Clipper It takes 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter, where it enters orbit around the giant gas planet and sneaks close to Europa during dozens of radiation-soaked flybys.

Scientists are almost certain that a deep, global ocean exists beneath it The ice crust of Europe. And where there is water, there may be life, making the moon one of the most promising places to hunt for it.

Europa Clipper will not look for life; it has no life detectors. Instead, the spacecraft will focus on the ingredients needed to sustain life, looking for organic compounds and other clues as it peers beneath the ice for suitable conditions.

“Ocean worlds like Europa are not only unique because they can be habitable, but they can also be habitable today,” NASA’s Gina DiBraccio said on the eve of the launch.

SpaceX launched Clipper on its 2 billion-mile journey, launching the spacecraft on a Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The $5.2 billion mission was almost derailed by transistors.

NASA only discovered in the spring that Clipper’s transistors may be more vulnerable to Jupiter’s intense radiation field than expected. Clipper will have to endure the equivalent of several million chest X-rays during each of the 49 Europa flybys. The space agency reviewed everything for months before concluding in September that the mission could go ahead as planned.

Hurricane Milton caused further concern, delaying the launch by several days.

About the size of a basketball court with the solar wings extended, Clipper will swing past Mars and then Earth on its way to Jupiter for gravitational support. The nearly 13,000-pound (5,700-kilogram) probe should reach the solar system’s largest planet in 2030.

Clipper will orbit Jupiter every 21 days. One of those days will bring it close to Europa, among Jupiter’s 95 known moons and close in size to our own moon.

The spacecraft will fly as low as 25 kilometers above Europe – much closer than the few previous visitors. The onboard radar will attempt to penetrate the moon’s ice cap, which is believed to be 15 to 24 kilometers thick. The ocean below may be 75 miles or deeper.

The spacecraft contains nine instruments and the sensitive electronics are stored in a vault with sealed zinc and aluminum walls to protect against radiation. The exploration will last until 2034.

If conditions prove favorable for life in Europa, scientists say it opens up the possibility of life on other ocean worlds in our solar system and beyond. With an underground ocean and geysers, Saturn’s moon Enceladus is another top candidate.

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