Challenges and Delays
The Europa Clipper mission faced challenges, including testing issues with transistors in the spacecraft's power supply system. However, NASA's mission team completed testing, and analysis suggests the transistors can support the baseline mission.
Launch and Schedule Trade-Offs
Launching on Falcon Heavy instead of SLS results in trade-offs on cost and schedule. While SLS would have offered a faster ride to Jupiter, the agency decided that the cost savings and reliability of Falcon Heavy made it the better overall option.