Spindle (vehicle)

[1] The cryobot is designed to descend through an ice body into a sub-surface ocean and deploy the HAUV submersible to conduct long range reconnaissance, life search, and sample collection.

[4] In 2011, NASA awarded Stone Aerospace $4 million to fund Phase 2 of project VALKYRIE (Very-Deep Autonomous Laser-Powered Kilowatt-Class Yo-Yoing Robotic Ice Explorer).

[6] The 5 kW (6.7 hp) power source on the surface uses optic fiber to conduct a high-energy laser beam to produce hot water jets that melt the ice ahead.

[8] Stone Aerospace is now looking at designs integrating a scaled-down version of the HAUV submersible called ARTEMIS (4.3 m or 14 ft 1 in long, 1,270 kg or 2,800 lb)[9] with VALKYRIE-type technology to produce SPINDLE.

[11][12] This phase of the project would be viewed as a precursor to possible future missions to an icy world such as Europa, Enceladus, or Ganymede to explore the liquid water oceans thought to be present below their ice, assess their potential habitability and seek biosignatures.