"Prospects for Drilling for Water Ice on Mars"
Honeybee Robotics is making progress with its RedWater technology to extract subsurface ice on Mars for generating drinkable water and rocket fuel. Recent data from Mars orbiters has revealed the presence of ice near the surface and deeply buried ice sheets on the planet. The company's RedWater system, which utilizes coiled tubing and the "RodWell" method, has undergone successful testing in simulated Martian conditions. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to map the location and depth of mid-latitude ice on Mars, and a proposed ice-scouting Mars orbiter aims to characterize the extent and volume of water ice in the planet's mid- and low-latitude regions. However, drilling into Martian ice remains a challenging task due to the extreme cold temperatures, and further research and new orbital radar sounding capabilities are needed to better understand the lateral and vertical extent of the ice.
