"Dragonfly a spectacular science mission with broad community interest, and we are excited to take the next steps on this mission," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "Exploring Titan will push the boundaries of what we can do with rotorcraft outside of Earth." [quote by Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate]
To compensate for the delayed arrival at Titan, NASA also approved the use of a heavy-lift launch vehicle to shorten the cruise phase of the mission. In early 2023, the mission team successfully completed their Preliminary Design Review. At that time, the mission was asked to develop a new budget and schedule that fit within the constraints of the current funding environment. NASA approved Dragonfly with a total life-cycle cost of $3.35 billion and a launch date of July 2028.
"APL is incredibly proud of the international team that has advanced the Dragonfly mission," said Bobby Braun, head of the Space Exploration Sector at APL. [quote by Bobby Braun, head of the Space Exploration Sector at APL]
Dragonfly's Titan Adventure
This rotorcraft, targeted to land on Titan in 2034, will make multiple flights across diverse locations on the moon, searching for evidence of prebiotic chemical processes - the kind of chemical reactions that might have occurred on early Earth before life arose. This mission marks the first time NASA will fly a vehicle specifically for scientific exploration on another world. The dragonfly-inspired design features eight rotors, allowing it to take off and land vertically, much like a large drone. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland is designing and building Dragonfly under NASA's direction, with Elizabeth Turtle of APL serving as the mission's principal investigator.
The key scientific goals of NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Titan are quite ambitious and exciting. They include:
- Searching for Chemical Biosignatures: Dragonfly will look for signs of past or present life by analyzing the complex organic material that is abundant on Titan’s surface1.
- Investigating Titan’s Methane Cycle: The mission aims to study the active methane cycle on Titan, which is similar to the water cycle on Earth, to understand the moon’s atmospheric processes1.
- Exploring Prebiotic Chemistry: By examining the atmospheric and surface chemistry on Titan, Dragonfly will investigate how far pre-life chemistry may have progressed on the moon2.
- Assessing Titan’s Habitability: The mission will evaluate the moon’s environment to determine its potential to support life3.
These goals align with NASA’s broader objectives of advancing our understanding of astrobiology and the conditions that lead to life. Titan is a unique world with a thick atmosphere and liquid on its surface, making it an ideal destination to explore these fundamental questions1. The Dragonfly rotorcraft will be able to relocate and sample various sites on Titan, providing a diverse set of data to help scientists answer these intriguing questions