NASA is building a roadmap for robots that could visit ocean worlds through future space missions and crack the worlds' thick, icy shells to explore subsurface seas in search of life.
Recently, the space agency revealed results from a NASA-sponsored workshop held in Feb. 2023 at which scientists and engineers gathered to discuss possible "cryobot" mission concepts. The idea is to crack through the icy exteriors of solar system moons, like Jupiter's moon Europa or Saturn's moon Enceladus, and drop a probe within that can explore the underlying liquid ocean.
