ESA Mars Express detects massive underground ice deposits

New analyses of data from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express mission suggest the existence of massive underground water ice deposits near the Martian equator. Using the MARSIS radar instrument, researchers identified signals consistent with stratified, ice-rich structures within the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF).

The subsurface structures could reach thicknesses of up to 3.7 kilometers. If this ice were to melt, the resulting volume of water could cover the entire planet in a global layer between 1.5 and 2.7 meters deep. This discovery represents one of the largest known water reserves outside of the planet's polar regions.

The study, led by Thomas R. Watters of the Smithsonian Institution and published in Geophysical Research Letters, clarifies that these findings stem from the Mars Express mission rather than the ExoMars mission.