A daring robotic mission to Jupiter's watery moon Europa could take place by 2025. Nasa announced the plans this week in its 2015 budget proposal which would remain essentially flat at $17.5 billion (£10.5 billion). The space agency has set aside $15 million (£9 million) in its budget proposal to start planning some kind of mission to Europa. Scroll Down for Video . Nasa is making preparations to plan a robotic mission to Jupiter's watery moon Europa, a place where astronomers speculate there might be life . Nasa’s chief financial officer Elizabeth Robinson said the high radiation environment around Jupiter and distance from Earth would be a challenge. When Nasa sent Galileo to Jupiter in 1989, it took the spacecraft six years to get to the fifth planet from the sun. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute astronomer Laurie Leshin said it could be ‘a daring mission to an extremely compelling object in our solar system.’ Past Nasa probes have flown by Europa, especially Galileo, but none have concentrated on the moon, one of dozens orbiting Jupiter. President Barack Obama's 2015 Nasa budget plan includes funding for a robotic mission as well as space taxis to the ISS . The proposed 2015 federal budget  allocated $17.5 billion (£10.5 billion) to Nasa. The space agency has set aside $15 million (£9 million) to plan a robotic mission to Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Nasa’s budget also includes funding for a commercial ventures to fly to the ISS. The agency could have $1.1 billion (£600 million) next year to help at least two companies develop commercial space taxis that would do this. The new budget also includes $3.1 billion (£1.9 billion) for Nasa to operate the ISS. It provides $2.8 billion (£1.7 billion) to continue development of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion capsule for future human missions to the moon, asteroids and Mars. Planning for the so-called Asteroid Redirect Mission gets a boost to $133 million (£80 million) in the 2015 budget proposal, up from $78 million (£47 million) in 2014. The proposed budget keeps the Hubble Space Telescope successor program - an infrared observatory known as the James Webb Space Telescope - on track for launch in 2018. It also lets Nasa begin planning for a new telescope to probe the mysterious force known as ‘dark energy’ that is driving the universe apart at faster and faster rates. Astronomers have long lobbied for a mission to Europa, but proposals would have cost billions of dollars. Last year, scientists discovered liquid plumes of water shooting up through Europa's ice. Flying through those watery jets could make Europa cheaper to explore than just circling it or landing on the ice, said Nasa Europa scientist Robert Pappalardo. Nasa will look at many competing ideas for a Europa mission, so the agency doesn't know how big or how much it will cost, Dr Robinson said. She said a major mission goal would be searching for life in the strange liquid water under the ice-covered surface. Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb said going to Europa would be more exciting than exploring dry Mars. ‘There might be fish under the ice,’ he said. Aswell as a mission to Europa, President Barack Obama's 2015 Nasa budget includes funding for a commercial ventures to fly astronauts to the International Space Station. The agency could have $1.1 billion (£600 million) next year to help at least two companies develop commercial space taxis to fly astronauts to and from the space station. The research outpost, a project of 15 nations, flies about 260 miles (420 km) above Earth. Since the space shuttles were retired in 2011, the U.S. is dependent on Russia to fly crews to the space station at a cost of more than $65 million a seat. Currently, Nasa is supporting space taxi designs by, privately owned Space Exploration Technologies and privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp which has developed the Dream Chaser (pictured) For now, escalating U.S. tensions with Russia over the crisis in Ukraine have not affected the space partnership, Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden told reporters on a conference call. ‘We are continuing to monitor the situation,’ Mr Bolden said. ‘Right now, everything is normal in our relationship with the Russians’. Currently, Nasa is supporting space taxi designs by, privately owned Space Exploration Technologies and privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp. The agency intends to select at least two companies for a final round of development funding this summer. Obama wants to have U.S. options for flying astronauts to the station before the end of 2017. The so-called Commercial Crew program is receiving $696 million (£417 million) for the 2014 fiscal year ending September 30. The proposed funding increase would add as much as $400 million (£240 million) to the program for fiscal 2015. Planning for the so-called Asteroid Redirect Mission gets a boost to $133 million (£80 million) in the 2015 budget proposal, up from $78 million (£47 million) in 2014 . The new budget also includes $3.1 billion (£1.9 billion) for Nasa to operate the station and provides $2.8 billion (£1.7 billion) to continue development of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion capsule for future human missions to the moon, asteroids and Mars. One of the first operational Orion missions would send astronauts to an asteroid that has been robotically relocated into a high orbit around the moon. Planning for the so-called Asteroid Redirect Mission gets a boost to $133 million (£80 million) in the 2015 budget proposal, up from $78 million (£47 million) in 2014. As currently envisioned, hiking spending on the asteroid initiative means cutbacks in other programs, warns the Coalition for Space Exploration, a Houston-based industry advocacy organization. ‘We remain concerned and opposed to the annual effort to drain funds from our nation's exploration programs,’ the group said in a statement. The proposed budget keeps the Hubble Space Telescope successor program - an infrared observatory known as the James Webb Space Telescope - on track for launch in 2018. It also lets Nasa begin planning for a new telescope to probe the mysterious force known as ‘dark energy’ that is driving the universe apart at faster and faster rates. Aswell as a mission to Europa, President Barack Obama's 2015 Nasa budget includes funding for a commercial ventures to fly astronauts to the International Space Station (pictured)
2015 space budget remains essentially flat at $17.5 .
billion (£10.5 billion)
$15 million (£9 million) has been set aside to plan a mission to Europa .
Agency could have $1.1 billion (£600 million) for commercial flights to ISS .
Budget has $2.8 billion (£1.7 billion) for rockets to launch manned missions .
James Webb Space Telescope, a successor to Hubble, will launch in 2018 .
Budget also includes funds for a new telescope to probe dark energy .
A daring robotic mission to Jupiter's watery moon Europa could take place by 2025. Nasa announced the plans this week in its 2015 budget proposal which would remain essentially flat at $17.5 billion (£10.5 billion). The space agency has set aside $15 million (£9 million) in its budget proposal to start planning some kind of mission to Europa. Scroll Down for Video . Nasa is making preparations to plan a robotic mission to Jupiter's watery moon Europa, a place where astronomers speculate there might be life . Nasa’s chief financial officer Elizabeth Robinson said the high radiation environment around Jupiter and distance from Earth would be a challenge. When Nasa sent Galileo to Jupiter in 1989, it took the spacecraft six years to get to the fifth planet from the sun. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute astronomer Laurie Leshin said it could be ‘a daring mission to an extremely compelling object in our solar system.’ Past Nasa probes have flown by Europa, especially Galileo, but none have concentrated on the moon, one of dozens orbiting Jupiter. President Barack Obama's 2015 Nasa budget plan includes funding for a robotic mission as well as space taxis to the ISS . The proposed 2015 federal budget allocated $17.5 billion (£10.5 billion) to Nasa. The space agency has set aside $15 million (£9 million) to plan a robotic mission to Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Nasa’s budget also includes funding for a commercial ventures to fly to the ISS. The agency could have $1.1 billion (£600 million) next year to help at least two companies develop commercial space taxis that would do this. The new budget also includes $3.1 billion (£1.9 billion) for Nasa to operate the ISS. It provides $2.8 billion (£1.7 billion) to continue development of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion capsule for future human missions to the moon, asteroids and Mars. Planning for the so-called Asteroid Redirect Mission gets a boost to $133 million (£80 million) in the 2015 budget proposal, up from $78 million (£47 million) in 2014. The proposed budget keeps the Hubble Space Telescope successor program - an infrared observatory known as the James Webb Space Telescope - on track for launch in 2018. It also lets Nasa begin planning for a new telescope to probe the mysterious force known as ‘dark energy’ that is driving the universe apart at faster and faster rates. Astronomers have long lobbied for a mission to Europa, but proposals would have cost billions of dollars. Last year, scientists discovered liquid plumes of water shooting up through Europa's ice. Flying through those watery jets could make Europa cheaper to explore than just circling it or landing on the ice, said Nasa Europa scientist Robert Pappalardo. Nasa will look at many competing ideas for a Europa mission, so the agency doesn't know how big or how much it will cost, Dr Robinson said. She said a major mission goal would be searching for life in the strange liquid water under the ice-covered surface. Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb said going to Europa would be more exciting than exploring dry Mars. ‘There might be fish under the ice,’ he said. Aswell as a mission to Europa, President Barack Obama's 2015 Nasa budget includes funding for a commercial ventures to fly astronauts to the International Space Station. The agency could have $1.1 billion (£600 million) next year to help at least two companies develop commercial space taxis to fly astronauts to and from the space station. The research outpost, a project of 15 nations, flies about 260 miles (420 km) above Earth. Since the space shuttles were retired in 2011, the U.S. is dependent on Russia to fly crews to the space station at a cost of more than $65 million a seat. Currently, Nasa is supporting space taxi designs by, privately owned Space Exploration Technologies and privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp which has developed the Dream Chaser (pictured) For now, escalating U.S. tensions with Russia over the crisis in Ukraine have not affected the space partnership, Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden told reporters on a conference call. ‘We are continuing to monitor the situation,’ Mr Bolden said. ‘Right now, everything is normal in our relationship with the Russians’. Currently, Nasa is supporting space taxi designs by, privately owned Space Exploration Technologies and privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp. The agency intends to select at least two companies for a final round of development funding this summer. Obama wants to have U.S. options for flying astronauts to the station before the end of 2017. The so-called Commercial Crew program is receiving $696 million (£417 million) for the 2014 fiscal year ending September 30. The proposed funding increase would add as much as $400 million (£240 million) to the program for fiscal 2015. Planning for the so-called Asteroid Redirect Mission gets a boost to $133 million (£80 million) in the 2015 budget proposal, up from $78 million (£47 million) in 2014 . The new budget also includes $3.1 billion (£1.9 billion) for Nasa to operate the station and provides $2.8 billion (£1.7 billion) to continue development of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion capsule for future human missions to the moon, asteroids and Mars. One of the first operational Orion missions would send astronauts to an asteroid that has been robotically relocated into a high orbit around the moon. Planning for the so-called Asteroid Redirect Mission gets a boost to $133 million (£80 million) in the 2015 budget proposal, up from $78 million (£47 million) in 2014. As currently envisioned, hiking spending on the asteroid initiative means cutbacks in other programs, warns the Coalition for Space Exploration, a Houston-based industry advocacy organization. ‘We remain concerned and opposed to the annual effort to drain funds from our nation's exploration programs,’ the group said in a statement. The proposed budget keeps the Hubble Space Telescope successor program - an infrared observatory known as the James Webb Space Telescope - on track for launch in 2018. It also lets Nasa begin planning for a new telescope to probe the mysterious force known as ‘dark energy’ that is driving the universe apart at faster and faster rates. Aswell as a mission to Europa, President Barack Obama's 2015 Nasa budget includes funding for a commercial ventures to fly astronauts to the International Space Station (pictured)
which would remain essentially flat at $17.5 billion (£10.5 billion). The space agency has set preparations to plan a robotic mission to The space agency has set aside $15 million (£9 agency could have $1.1 billion (£600 million) $2.8 billion (£1.7 billion) to continue budget keeps the Hubble Space Telescope successor James Webb Space Telescope - on track for launch new telescope to probe the mysterious force known have long lobbied for a mission to Europa, but Telescope - on track for launch in 2018. It also probe the mysterious force known as ‘dark energy’