Carbon dioxide found on Jupiter’s moon Europa by the James Webb Space Telescope

Another important discovery made with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope is the presence of carbon dioxide in a specific area of Europa’s frozen surface.

For life as we know it, carbon is a necessary component. This suggests that the most recent Webb find might represent a significant development in the quest for life. According to the European Space Agency, the researchers’ analysis suggests that the carbon they found most likely came from an ocean beneath Europa’s surface rather than from meteorites or other external sources.

According to two studies that were published in the journal Science, Tara Regio on the European continent has the highest concentration of carbon dioxide. Geologically speaking, the region is new and is made up of resurfaced land known as “chaos terrain.” A material exchange between the deep ocean and the icy surface is likely to have occurred here due to the disruption of the surface ice.

Samantha Trumbo, the principal author of the second publication that examined the data, claims that previous Hubble telescope studies have revealed traces of salt from the ocean in Tara Regio. The discovery of carbon dioxide there suggests that it originated from the internal ocean now that its presence has been confirmed.

Europa has long been considered a potential site in our solar system where extraterrestrial life may exist. In reality, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is planning a mission that would deploy a swarm of cellphone-sized robots to search for extraterrestrial life in the seas beneath Europa, Jupiter’s moon, which is kilometers thick with ice.

If the “cryobot” expedition ever becomes a reality, it will likely be a long way off.

However, the Europa Clipper mission from the American space agency is set to begin in 2024. When it gets to Europa in 2030, the mission will make several flybys of the planet to collect extensive data using a huge number of equipment. The parameters of Clipper and other missions could change if carbon dioxide is found on Jupiter’s moon.