Enceladus Life Finder

[1][8] On 14 December 2023, astronomers reported the first time discovery, in the plumes of Enceladus, of hydrogen cyanide, a possible chemical essential for life as we know it, as well as other organic molecules, some of which are yet to be better identified and understood.

According to the researchers, "these [newly discovered] compounds could potentially support extant microbial communities or drive complex organic synthesis leading to the origin of life.

[2] The geysers could provide easy access for sampling the moon's subsurface ocean, and if there is microbial life in it, ice particles from the sea could contain the evidence astrobiologists need to identify them.

The payload consists of the MASPEX and the ENIJA, optimized to analyze respectively the gas and grains:[1][8] The Cassini spacecraft has measured small silica particles, normally formed at 90 °C or higher, streaming from Enceladus.

[12] The size and composition of the particles suggest that they come from current hydrothermal activity,[13][14][15][16] where the moon's ocean meets the underlying rock, a prime habitat for life.