Although the surfaces of Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s moon Europa are covered with ice, it is thought that there may be oceans under this ice. The TRIPLE-nanoAUV 2 project aims to have an unmanned underwater vehicle dive into these oceans and search for life.

The joint effort is coordinated by the MARUM (Zentrum für MARine UMweltwissenschaften) of the University of Bremen in Germany. TRIPLE stands for “Rapid Ice Penetration and Subglacial Lake Exploration Technologies” while AUV is the current acronym for “Autonomous Underwater Vehicle.”

The torpedo-shaped ship would measure approximately 50cm long and 10cm wide (20 x 4in) with its wings folded back. In this configuration, it will travel down through the ice, encapsulated in an ice-melting probe. This will be followed by a cylindrical docking station that will remain attached to the lunar lander on the surface.

Once the nanoAUV passes through the ice, it will autonomously explore the surrounding ocean area by capturing data using cameras and many other sensors. At regular intervals, it will return to its suspended docking station, where it will recharge its batteries and transmit recorded data to the lander for transmission to Earth.

The entire TRIPLE-nanoAUV 2 system is planned to be tested under the Antarctic ice shelf near the Neumayer III station in spring 2026. The encapsulated vehicle will need to travel through 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) of ice to explore the subglacial lakes believed to exist underneath.

“Such nanotools can help better understand marine ecosystems in general,” said project leader MARUM Professor Ralf Bachmeier. “The new autonomous system is unique and will in the future allow us to study the global ocean of liquid water beneath the icy surfaces of Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus.” Source