ENCELADUS TESTING NEAR ACTIVITY (ETNA) - A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE HABITABILITY AND GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF ENCELADUS

During the 2024-2025 academic year, a team of Aerospace Engineering students at The Ohio State University performed a conceptual design study, producing a preliminary mission architecture to explore Enceladus, one of the most scientifically compelling moons orbiting the planet Saturn. Enceladus is often referred to as an “icy moon” and is of significant interest for exploration, due to its unique geological activity and its potential to host water-based life. Due to tidal forces that effectively squeeze Enceladus as it orbits Saturn internal heat and pressure builds up under the ice. Material from below the frozen surface is frequently ejected into space in ephemeral plumes that extend thousands of kilometers into surrounding space. NASA’s Cassini-Huygens mission imaged and studied the composition of these plumes, finding traces of basic organic compounds and strong evidence of hydrothermal vent activity, revealing Enceladus’s potential to host life. Given this motivation, the team began to formulate an orbiter-lander mission concept to study geological activity of Enceladus, learn more about the composition of material on the surface and in these plumes, and provide imagery of the surface in greater detail. This paper will present the results of the mission concept study, including the overall mission architecture, required launch, delta-V, and orbital trajectory requirements; share preliminary designs of both the lander and orbiter; and articulate details of the instrument packages required to accomplish the desired scientific objectives. Findings from this mission will be applicable to other icy bodies of interest in the solar system such as Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Providing in-depth data on the properties of icy moons will better prepare future missions to undertake more specific exploration missions and deepen our understandings on the origins of life.