What Lies Beneath The Surface of Europa?

Europa, one of Jupiter's 79 moons and slightly smaller than Earth's Moon, is the prime candidate in our solar system for hosting life. Though it appears as a cold, icy moon 800 million kilometers from the sun, beneath its thick ice layer lies a vast ocean with potential conditions for life. This was recently supported by data from the James Webb Telescope.
Interest in Europa grew after NASA's Galileo probe detected disturbances in Jupiter's magnetic field near Europa, hinting at a salty subsurface ocean. In 2019, scientists confirmed water vapor above Europa's surface. The James Webb Telescope later detected carbon dioxide in the Tara region, suggesting a continuous internal source, likely from the subsurface ocean.
Cryogeological activity on Europa might transport oxygen and other essential elements to the ocean, creating favorable conditions for life. Upcoming missions, like NASA's Europa Clipper and ESA's Juice, aim to explore Europa in greater detail. These missions will provide high-resolution images, temperature maps, and atmospheric data, bringing us closer to understanding this intriguing moon. The potential for finding extraterrestrial life on Europa makes it a focal point of current and future space exploration.