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| https://barleyculinermars.blogspot.com/2024/11/enceladus-gif_27.html |
ESA’s L4 mission is under study to land on Saturn’s ocean moon Enceladus. It is the Agency’s fourth ‘Large-class’ mission and the first flagship mission of Voyage 2050. This ambitious mission aims to sample the plumes that burst out from beneath Enceladus’s icy crust, and perform in-situ measurements directly from the surface, seeking out the ingredients that could fuel life. The orbiter will also perform flybys around Saturn’s other moons, to better understand the conditions needed for habitable worlds.
Science Traceability Matrix (STM)
L4 – the mission to Enceladus has three main scientific themes derived from the Expert Committee report
(A) Habitability and surface–interior interactions.
(B) Enceladus interaction with the external environment and the Saturnian system.
(C) Prebiotic chemistry and biosignature detection.
Mission Timeline
As of October 2025, the mission schedule is as follows:
Main mission milestones and phases
Ministerial Conference: End 2025
Mission definition phase: 2026 – 2034
Mission adoption: ~2034
Implementation phase: 2035 – 2042
Launch: ~2042
Arrival at Saturn: 2053
Tour of Saturn moons, plume sampling: 2053 - 2058
Landing on Enceladus: 2058
https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/l4
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