This nano submarine will explore solar system's icy moons

However, the challenge lies in exploring and penetrating through the incredibly thick surface layers to obtain direct evidence and establish the presence or absence of oceans on these frozen celestial bodies.

The ideal approach is to create robust, cutting-edge robots that can autonomously roam and dig beneath these alien surfaces, collecting evidence and beaming it back to Earth for further analysis. 

Scientists and engineers are diligently working to develop advanced technologies for future missions to these worlds. 

Now, a group of inventors is developing a miniature underwater vehicle capable of conducting research autonomously beneath the frozen surfaces. 

The University of Bremen’s MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences is leading the development of this prototype vehicle, which will be tested in the spring of 2026 beneath an Antarctic ice shelf near the Neu­mayer III Sta­tion.

According to the official release, the robotic vehicle development comes under the project Tech­no­lo­gies for Rapid Ice Pen­et­ra­tion and subgla­cial Lake Ex­plor­a­tion (TRIPLE) funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Recently, the project entered the second development phase.

Nano underwater vehicle components  

The technique for deploying this nano Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) will necessitate the use of many other critical components, most notably the LRS (Launch and Re­cov­ery Sys­tem) and the TRIPLE-Ice­Craft. 

This LRS would act as the AUV's underwater docking station. The station would include a variety of amenities, including tiny battery outlets for the vehicle to recharge, allowing it to stay underwater for longer durations. Additionally, the LRS will enable the vehicle to send science data obtained under the frozen surface to ground-based operators. 

The TRIPLE-Ice­Craft is a melting probe that has already been developed and is ready for testing. 

This specialized instrument has been specifically designed to deliver the nano vehicle into the underlying water by melting the thick surface ice and creating a small hole to act as a passage. This nano vehicle would be a payload on this melting probe, so the team has kept the AUV’s size incredibly small but robust enough to execute all functions. 

The AUV's diameter is projected to be roughly 10 centimeters, with a length of about 50 centimeters.

“Such nano-vehicles can help to provide a bet­ter overall un­der­stand­ing of mar­ine eco­sys­tems,” said Ralf Bach­mayer, pro­ject leader from MARUM. 

Bach­mayer added: “The new autonom­ous sys­tem is unique and should make it pos­sible in the future to study the global li­quid-wa­ter ocean be­low the icy sur­faces of Jupiter’s moon Europa and Sat­urn’s moon En­ce­ladus. Mini­atur­iz­a­tion is the primary chal­lenge in its de­vel­op­ment, with the probe dic­tat­ing the overall size. In ad­di­tion, all of the com­pon­ents must be able to with­stand the high pres­sure un­der wa­ter.”

The additional essential navigation software and scientific payloads for the autonom­ous vehicle are currently in the development stage. 

Microbial investigation in Antarctica

The press release mentioned that “this is the first time that space and deep-sea re­search have been com­bined and ro­botic sys­tems de­veloped for ex­treme en­vir­on­ments.” 

The vehicle's high-tech scientific sensors might provide crucial information in the quest for life forms that thrive behind thick ice crusts. Notably, while testing the prototype, the nano vehicle might be able to gather data about the "unexplored ecosystems in subglacial lakes" located beneath the dense continental ice of Antarctica.

Scientific research in Antarctica has suggested that some microorganisms, such as proteobacteria, may withstand severe cold temperatures. However, most of them are likely to be dormant in such freezing temperatures. Moreover, extremophiles study in Antarctica's icy environment can provide valuable insights into the potential for life on icy moons, where similar conditions might exist beneath the ice.

While the conditions in Earth's coldest regions remain significantly distinct from those in the icy moons, this type of research can prove highly valuable for astrobiology.