Washington, 14 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) -- The Europa Clipper spacecraft embarked Monday on its journey to Jupiter's icy moon Europa in search of a potentially life-supporting world, US space agency NASA said.

The probe was launched from the Cape Canaveral complex in Florida using a Falcon Heavy rocket from Elon Musk's private space company SpaceX.

The launch was initially scheduled for October 10 but was postponed due to Hurricane Milton.

After a journey of nearly 3 billion kilometres, Europa Clipper is expected to arrive in Jupiter's orbit in 2030.

During several close flybys, it is to investigate whether conditions on Europa might be conducive to life.

"There is strong evidence Jupiter's moon Europa has a saltwater ocean that may be one of the best places to look for environments where life could exist beyond Earth," NASA said.

Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft that NASA has ever constructed for a planetary mission. It carries nine scientific instruments on board.

Europa, which is one of four large satellites of the giant gas planet, is surrounded by an ice crust. Scientists believe an ocean beneath could contain more water than all of Earth's seas combined.