Most extensive radar survey of Europa’s ice completed
An international team of scientists employed NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar together with the National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope to probe the icy moon of Jupiter over the period 2011‑2024. By transmitting 3.5 cm (1.4 in) radio waves, they measured how the moon’s surface reflects and scatters the signal.
The data reveal that Europa’s ice scatters radar energy far more strongly and with greater complexity than rocky bodies elsewhere in the Solar System. Such behavior suggests a heterogeneous ice shell, potentially containing salt inclusions, pores, or signatures of subsurface ocean dynamics.
The synergy of the high‑power Goldstone transmitter, capable of reaching interplanetary distances, and the ultra‑sensitive Green Bank receiver provided an unprecedented level of detail. Researchers mapped not only the overall reflectivity but also localized variations across the surface.
- Radar wavelength: 3.5 cm (8.6 GHz)
- Observation span: 2011‑2024
- Instruments: Goldstone Solar System Radar, Green Bank Telescope
The findings indicate that Europa’s outer layer is far from uniform, comprising multiple strata with distinct physical properties. These layers may offer clues to the ocean beneath, which is considered a prime candidate for habitability.
Future analyses and upcoming missions, such as NASA’s Europa Clipper, will build on the radar results to search for hydrothermal activity and chemical compositions that could support life.