Post #75049 by albaby1 on the US Policy board

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Assuming Europa or Enceladus actually has liquid water (theorized, not assured), the life cycle is solar powered. No sun, no life. I can't rule out some as-yet unknown technology, but that does seem to be a basic limitation.

If Europa has liquid water, it's probably due to tidal heating rather than solar energy. Jupiter's gravitational pull pushes a ton of energy into the planet through those tidal influences, both directly into the liquid water (if it exists) and through vulcanism in the core. That can theoretically last far longer than the billion years the earth has left in the habitable zone. Plus, Jupiter itself emits a ton of radiation, which would be lethal to any life like ours on the surface but could provide energy for subsurface life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_heating

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