Cold Briny Oceans: a Discussion on the Astrobiological Potential of the Uranian Moon System

The 2023-2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey prioritized the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) mission concept as the next priority flagship mission for the decade. UOP would likely include scientific studies of the Uranian moon system. While the Uranian moons differ greatly from the ocean worlds in the Jovian and Saturnian system, the emerging hypothesis is that some of them could at least sustain thin, potentially concentrated, oceans to the current day. Herein, we make a case that these moons are important targets of scientific research considering the astrobiological implications around the putative subsurface oceans within these moons. Studying these worlds would provide critical astrobiological data related to their habitability–including origin, evolution, and potential death–as well as the formation and evolution of ocean worlds more broadly, and understanding of abiotic chemistry. We advocate that research connecting astrobiology to modeling and experimentation to better characterize the possible conditions of these worlds will be critical in formulating and maximizing the potential science that could be done by a Uranus flagship mission.