Ocean Worlds in the Solar System

At FH Aachen, a melting probe by the name of “IceMole” has been developed, which is to be used on future space missions. Its task: collecting ice and water samples while navigating independently through the ice.

Starting in 2010 as a student project at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering under the direction of Professor Dr. Bernd Dachwald, in collaboration with Professor Dr. Gerhard Artmann from FH Aachen’s Institute of Bioengineering, it developed into a joint project under the leadership of FH Aachen, funded by the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

The name of the project: EnEx — Enceladus Explorer. Possible destination: Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Scientists assume that there are huge saltwater oceans beneath the icy surface where microbial life could exist.