Mapping shallow subsurface water (ice) on near-equatorial Mars is critical for future (manned) exploration, yet existing research shows poor correlation, leaving its presence debated.

This thesis assesses dual-spacecraft Bi-Static Radar (BSR) measurement feasibility at Ultra High Frequency, providing near-global coverage ideal for comparison with gamma/neutron spectrometry hydrogen maps. The Mars Express lander relay antenna transmits a continuous signal probing a few metres into the subsurface (shallow depths which cannot be mapped by conventional low-frequency radar). The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter receives the echo, whose amplitude directly reflects permittivity variations induced by compositional changes, e.g. water (ice) deposits.

Models were created to optimize measurement planning and simulate the received power spectrum against BSR data. The current match is limited, reflecting the method’s novelty, and surface composition is yet to show a strong signature. However, after calibration, resolution increase and improving direct signal, seasonal and polarization effects modelling, reliable detections appear possible.

When searching for life we tend to imagine faraway exoplanets, and rarely do we think of our
own solar system. Although a lot of focus is put on Mars, Venus, our closest neighbor, could
currently host life. Temperatures of 475 ℃ and pressures 95 times what we experience on
Earth don’t offer the best conditions for life on the surface. However at high altitudes the
temperature and pressure drop until, in the area between 50 and 70 km, they approach those
of Earth. Here, amongst a thick deck of sulfuric acid clouds, it is speculated that life could
exist, perhaps in the form of bacteria living in suspended water bubbles.
The purpose of our mission is to design a remote sensing platform to perform in-situ
measurements on the atmosphere and soil composition of Venus, in an effort to learn more
about the planet while looking for specific biomarkers that could be attributed to life.