NASA Dragonfly Mission to Saturn’s Largest Moon a ‘Go’

NASA’s nuclear-powered, dual-quadcopter rotorcraft is expected to travel tens of miles in an hour, much farther than any existing rover.

Jack Daleo

Friday, April 19, 2024 at 01:34 PM ET

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An artist’s concept depicts NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft soaring over Titan’s sandy dunes. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA has confirmed its Dragonfly mission, a nuclear-powered rotorcraft, to launch to Saturn's moon Titan in July 2028.
The mission's primary goal is to search for the origins of life by exploring prebiotic chemical processes and investigating Titan's potential habitability.
Despite a tripled budget of $3.35 billion and launch delays, Dragonfly will be the first NASA vehicle to fly for science on another planet's moon, covering hundreds of miles over its two-year expedition.

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Within five years, NASA will launch a nuclear-powered drone to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, to search for the origins of life.

The space agency this week confirmed its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Titan, the fourth initiative under its New Frontiers program, is a “go” for 2028. According to NASA, teams can now begin finalizing the mission’s design. After that, they will begin construction and testing of the spacecraft and science instruments it will carry.