Laplace-P

Laplace-P (formerly called Europa Lander) is a proposed orbiter and lander by the Russian Federal Space Agency designed to study the Jovian moon system and explore Ganymede with a lander.

Russia has expressed an interest in flying their lander with the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer in 2022, but as of yet the current Laplace-P concept is for a separate orbiter and lander to be launched by two separate rockets in 2023, if the mission is launched.

History

The Europa Lander would have been launched in 2020s as part of the Europa Jupiter System Mission proposed in 2007 by the ESA, that would have studied the Jovian moon system as well as and the planet Jupiter. The orbiter would have done several flybys of other Jovian moons before being placed in orbit around Europa. The lander would have researched the ocean underneath the ice sheet of Europa. However, to avoid the damaging effects of Jupiter's radiation belts, the destination of the lander was switched in 2011 from Europa to Ganymede. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System and has an internal ocean that may contain more water than all of Earth's oceans together.