[2] Its main objectives included determining the presence or absence of a subsurface ocean and identifying candidate sites for future lander missions.

[3] Europa Orbiter received pre-project funding in 1998, and resulted from NASA's Fire and Ice project.

[4] This would have meant an arrival at Jupiter in 2007, at which time it would commence in a three-part science tour focused on Europa.

[6] In 1999, NASA issued an announcement of opportunity that solicited experiments for Europa Orbiter, Pluto Kuiper Express, and Parker Solar Probe.

[9] Later in the 21st century, it was suggested the goal of the Europa Orbiter should have been to find places where the freshest sub-surface material had been brought to the surface.