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See the robot that may one day search for life on Jupiter's icy moon

This prototype lander is collecting ice samples here on Earth, in the hope that it might help scientists peek at the ocean underneath Europa's frozen surface

21 May 2025

Caption The ICEPIC sampling tool drilling into the ice at sampling site A of the Matanuska Glacier, AK, field trial. Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA/JPL-Caltech

This robot may look out of place, but it has been designed with a frozen environment in mind: Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon. The prototype lander was put through its paces at Matanuska glacier in Alaska, where it was able to autonomously drill into the ice to collect samples. Europa is enticing to scientists, as it is thought that under its frozen shell is an ocean that could support life.

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