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You have to use more expensive radiation hardened fiber for Europa because the cheap stuff will literally go dark. It is likely there will also be a lower rate copper signaling path in case the umbilical tether is slightly damaged. Previous efforts to drill outside of Earth (mostly Mars) have proven difficult; there have been suggestions to instead "melt" through the ice with a radioisotope thermoelectric generator but this presents a different set of problems.

Rest assured that incredibly smart people at a propulsion laboratory are working on solving these sorts of problems. If you are a citizen of the USA, you can help by asking your elected representatives to adequately fund these efforts so these personnel won’t be laid off in the next few months.



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