Saturn's moon Enceladus found to have all ingredients needed for life

German scientists analysing Cassini data find complex organic molecules in Enceladus' plumes, raising hopes that its hidden ocean could support life beyond Earth

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft first stunned the world in 2005 when it captured giant plumes of water ice erupting from Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus. Those geysers hinted at a hidden ocean beneath its frozen surface, sparking decades of curiosity about the possibility of alien life.

 

Now, new research from Germany has detected complex organic molecules in Enceladus’ plumes, adding fresh weight to the theory that the mysterious moon could harbour conditions suitable for life.

Enceladus’ towering plumes

 

Enceladus’ icy geysers do not just rise a few miles — they erupt with astonishing force, sending material thousands of miles into space. In 2023, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed a plume stretching over 6,000 miles (10,000 kilometres) into space.

 

 

These colossal plumes allowed Cassini to sample and analyse the moon’s chemistry, providing scientists with invaluable insights into the hidden ocean beneath its icy shell.

Fresh insights from Cassini’s 2008 data

 

Scientists believe that Enceladus, Saturn’s sixth-largest moon, hides a vast saltwater ocean beneath its thick icy crust. In a fresh analysis of Cassini’s data, researchers have now used advanced techniques to detect organic compounds on the moon for the first time — molecules that could play a key role in supporting life.

 

The team focused on ice grains collected in 2008 by Cassini’s Cosmic Dust Analyzer. These particles had erupted from Enceladus’ southern geysers just minutes before being captured, making them the freshest and most pristine samples ever studied from the moon.

 

The study not only confirms earlier evidence of organics in Enceladus’ older ice grains but also reveals previously undetected organic molecules, further strengthening the possibility that the moon’s ocean could support life.

Chemical complexity hints at habitability

 

Nozair Khawaja, a planetary scientist at Freie University Berlin and lead author of the study, explained that the findings point to greater chemical complexity beneath Enceladus’ icy surface.

 

“When we see more complexity, it means the moon’s potential to support life is increasing,” The Guardian quoted him as saying.

 

In their paper published in Nature Astronomy, Khawaja and his team noted that earlier research had already detected organic molecules and salts in ice grains within Saturn’s E-ring — a ring largely made up of material blasted into space from Enceladus’ geysers.

 

Khawaja noted that ice grains in Saturn’s E-ring are often months or even years old, meaning their composition could have been altered by radiation in space. The new study, however, focused on data from grains collected directly within Enceladus’ plume itself.

 

“These grains were only minutes old,” Khawaja explained. “That means we are looking at a pure, unaltered sample straight from the moon’s subsurface ocean.”

Future missions to Enceladus

 

Dr Jörn Helbert, head of the solar system division at the European Space Agency, who was not involved in the study, told The Guardian that plans are already in motion for a dedicated Enceladus mission, tentatively targeted for launch around 2042.

 

The proposed mission would include an orbiter designed to pass through the moon’s geysers, along with a lander aimed at touching down near the south pole — where the plumes originate.

 

Helbert said the latest findings strengthen the case for such a mission, confirming that complex prebiotic molecules are being expelled from Enceladus’ hidden ocean.

 

“We now know Enceladus has all the ingredients needed for life — liquid water, an energy source, and complex organic molecules,” he explained. “That makes this the perfect time to send a mission that can directly search for signs of life.”

 

With Cassini’s data and this latest research, Enceladus continues to stand out as one of the most promising locations in the solar system for the search for extraterrestrial life.