Scientists announced on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that new organic molecules were identified in the icy plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The discovery came from data collected by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft during a rapid flyby in 2008. Enceladus, only 500 kilometers wide, is well known for jets of water and ice erupting from cracks near its south pole. These plumes are linked to a hidden underground ocean, making the moon one of the main candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, revealed that the organic grains studied were much younger than older ones found in Saturn’s outer rings. According to researchers, these fresher grains provided cleaner samples that allowed a clearer examination of chemical compounds. Specialists stated that such organics increased the moon’s habitability potential, though life has not been confirmed.

The analysis showed that ice grains colliding with Cassini’s dust analyzer at nearly 65,000 kilometers per hour carried both previously known and newly detected organic compounds. Evidence suggested these substances came directly from the subsurface ocean and could be related to hydrothermal activity on the seafloor. Similar systems on Earth support marine ecosystems, raising interest in further studies. Scientists stressed that being habitable does not mean being inhabited, but they described the results as remarkable. Future missions are being discussed by the European Space Agency and China, while NASA’s Europa Clipper is expected to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa starting in 2030.