RF Attenuation in Alaskan Ice: Implications for Through-Ice Communications on Icy Moons

This letter presents experimental investigations conducted on the Matanuska Glacier in Alaska to evaluate radio frequency (RF) attenuation for through-ice communications. Software-defined radio-based transceivers employing Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation were utilized for measurements on both a frozen lake and directly on the glacier at 169 MHz. Received signal levels and bit error rates were measured at 1 kbit/s with and without Forward Error Correction (FEC) codes. Additionally, a through-ice link budget analysis is presented to provide insights for future wireless communication between moon landers and cryobots exploring extraterrestrial oceans beneath ice surfaces. These findings are relevant for potential deep space missions to icy moons, such as Jupiter’s moon Europa, which may harbor conditions conducive to life.