Jupiter’s moon Europa, which harbors a global ocean beneath its icy crust, has long been a prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life. NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft is currently on a 1.8-billion-mile journey to assess the moon’s habitability, with plans to conduct 49 close flybys starting in April 2030. Scientists hoped to detect water plumes or shallow reservoirs that could provide a direct window into the ocean’s chemistry. However, a new study led by planetary scientist Lujendra Ojha of Rutgers University suggests that Europa’s icy shell is a far more formidable barrier than previously thought.