Abstract EANA2025-74

Subglacial aquatic environments on Earth, such as subglacial lakes and basal water reservoirs, represent some of the most promising terrestrial analogues for icy ocean worlds beyond Earth. These isolated and extreme habitats are considered key targets in astrobiology, as they may host chemoautotrophic microbial ecosystems under permanent ice cover. The exploration of these environments is not only fundamental for understanding microbial life at the limits of habitability on Earth, but also guides us to develope mission concepts targeting Europa, Enceladus, and Martian polar regions.[1][2]
The TRIPLE-IceCraft, developed within the DLR-initiated TRIPLE (Technologies for Rapid Ice Penetration and Subglacial Lake Exploration) project, is a modular, autonomous melting probe designed for clean and minimally invasive access to glacial and subglacial environments. It combines electro-thermal melting with a recoverable design and internal cabling for power and data transmission. During two successful demonstration campaigns at Neumayer Station III on the Ekström Ice Shelf (2023–2024), the system achieved stable performance and a total melt path of over 125 meters.[3]
In the next phase of development, the IceCraft platform will continue to be technically refined to enhance its robustness, autonomy, and suitability for extended deployments in harsh cryogenic environments. Parallel to these engineering efforts, increased emphasis will be placed on the conceptual development and integration of scientific payloads, with the aim of expanding IceCraft’s functionality toward in-situ environmental analysis and biosignature detection.
This contribution outlines the potential for future payload integration and presents a conceptual framework for their deployment. Such instrumentation could, in future iterations, include tools for detecting organic compounds and volatiles, characterizing mineralogical context, identifying microbial structures, and analyzing redox conditions, nutrient gradients, and other key environmental parameters. Possible approaches may involve spectroscopic techniques (e.g. fluorescence or Raman), microscale imaging, flow cytometry, microfluidics, and gas sensing, among others.[2]
These systems would be housed in pressure-tight, thermally insulated payload modules designed to operate both during descent and upon reaching subglacial water bodies. Future strategies may allow for continuous measurements during melting, targeted analysis of discrete meltwater samples, and onboard pre-processing of data to support limited-bandwidth telemetry.
By exploring and preparing for such capabilities, the TRIPLE-IceCraft platform is envisioned as a future testbed for scientific investigations in Earth’s extreme cryoenvironments and also contributes to the technological foundation needed for future planetary missions targeting sub-ice oceans on icy worlds like Europa or Enceladus.

[1] Livingstone, S.J., Li, Y., Rutishauser, A. et al. Subglacial lakes and their changing role in a warming climate. Nat Rev Earth Environ 3, 106–124 (2022)
[2] Klenner F, et al., (2024) Icy ocean worlds - astrobiology research in Germany. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, Sec. Astrobiology, Vol. 11 – 2024 https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2024.1422898
[3] Heinen D, et al., (2021) The TRIPLE Melting Probe - an Electro-Thermal Drill with a Forefield Reconnaissance System to Access Subglacial Lakes and Oceans, OCEANS 2021: San Diego – Porto, San Diego, CA, USA, 2021, pp. 1-7, https://doi.org/10.23919/OCEANS44145.2021.9705999