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This story was originally published by NASA and is unaltered.
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Orbit Departure Burn Coming Up – Kennedy Space Center [1]

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Date: 2024-10-14

The orbital departure burn is planned to happen in just about 5 minutes. The second stage engine will restart for its second burn (SES-2) and will continue to burn for approximately 3 minutes. This second burn will give the Europa Clipper spacecraft the thrust it needs escape Earth’s gravity. When the burn is complete, the spacecraft will separate from the second stage, which will enter a heliocentric orbit, while the Europa Clipper spacecraft will then continue its roughly six-year journey to Jupiter and its moon, Europa. However, before it travels to Jupiter, the spacecraft will need two gravity assists to help accelerate it on its 1.8-billion-mile trip, with the first gravity assist coming in February 2025 at Mars, and the second during an Earth flyby in December 2026.

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[1] Url: https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2024/10/14/orbit-departure-burn-coming-up/

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