NASA's Europa Clipper will fly past Mars today to adjust its trajectory and position itself for a critical phase of its 1.8-billion-mile (2.9-billion-kilometer) trek to the Jupiter system.

NASA’s Europa Clipper is using Mars and Earth’s gravity to travel efficiently to Jupiter. The spacecraft will study Europa’s ice and ocean.

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 fourth-largest moon later this week.