Mission concept proposes sampling Enceladus's subsurface ocean

A team of students and researchers proposed the Thermal Investigation of Geothermal Regions of Enceladus (TIGRE) mission concept.

The TIGRE mission concept is designed to conduct in-depth exploration of Saturn 's moon .

The mission concept comes seven years after NASA 's Cassini-Huygen mission ended by performing an intentional dive into Saturn .

Enceladus is one of several icy moons of the solar system that potentially once had life or could have life today .

TIGRE will help advance remote sensing, orbiting, landing, and thermal drilling technologies, says Kour .

The mission will provide "comprehensible insights into the composition and formation of Encelladus 's subsurface ocean".

Enceladus is a prime target for astrobiologists in the search for life beyond Earth due to its vast subsurface ocean circulating beneath its icy shell.

The hydrocarbons discovered by Cassini when the spacecraft flew through the plumes included carbon-bearing molecules like formaldehyde, acetylene, propane, and methane.

If there is life and it is similar to the one on Earth , it could be one of close relation to Archaea .