"It's like a game of billiards around the solar system, flying by a couple of planets at just the right angle and timing to build up the energy we need to get to Jupiter and Europa."

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, designed to study Jupiter’s moon Europa, is currently on a six-year journey through the solar system. As part of its trajectory, the spacecraft will make a close pass by Mars before "brushing" past Earth in 2026 to gain speed for its final approach to Jupiter.

NASA's Europa Clipper is about to use Mars' gravitational pull to slingshot itself towards Jupiter's smallest moon later this week. The craft launched from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in October 2024,