Europa Orbiter was a design for a mission to the Jovian moon Europa, based on a orbiter, of which was fuel for maneuvers. Other instruments would be an
altimeter and imaging systems, among other devices. In 1999, NASA issued an announcement of opportunity that solicited experiments for Europa Orbiter,
Pluto Kuiper Express, and
Parker Solar Probe. The results of the studies on the Europa Orbiter have been conducive to the
Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO), NASA's contribution to the planned international
Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) that was slated for launch in 2020. EJSM was cancelled in 2011. The Europa Orbiter-concept should not be confused with the
Jovian Europa Orbiter, a feasibility study conducted by the
European Space Agency (ESA) which was finally superseded by the EJSM, too. Another Europa mission in this era was the
Europa Ice Clipper, a
Stardust mission-like sample return mission. It was launched in 2011 and arrived at Jupiter in the summer of 2016. A 2002 paper noted the following challenges for this mission: "substantial energy required for a direct trajectory, the long duration of the mission, the high total-radiation dose, and the need for radioisotope thermoelectric generators". One mission plan involved first entering Jovian orbit, then use multiple gravity assists from the
Moons of Jupiter to help it to enter the orbit of Europa with less rocket fuel. . == Legacy ==