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, set to launch a nuclear-powered rotorcraft to Saturn's moon Titan in 2028 to search for the origins of life and prebiotic chemical processes.
The car-sized drone, expected to arrive in 2034, will fly hundreds of miles over two years to investigate Titan's habitability, leveraging nuclear power for energy in its dense atmosphere.
The mission's cost has risen to $3.35 billion due to revisions and external factors, and it represents NASA's first scientific flight of a vehicle on another planet's moon.

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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.