Dragonfly (Titan space probe)
| File:Dragonfly Concept Art 2024.webp Artist's impression of the Dragonfly spacecraft flying over the surface of Titan | |||||||||||
| Names | New Frontiers 4 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | Titan rotorcraft | ||||||||||
| Operator | NASA / APL | ||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | {{#property:P247}} | ||||||||||
| Website | dragonfly | ||||||||||
| Mission duration | Planned: 10 years Science phase: 3.3 years | ||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||
| Spacecraft type | Rotorcraft lander | ||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Applied Physics Laboratory | ||||||||||
| Landing mass | ≈450 kg (990 lb) | ||||||||||
| Power | 70 watts (desired) from an MMRTG | ||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||
| Launch date | 5–25 July 2028 (planned) | ||||||||||
| Rocket | Falcon Heavy | ||||||||||
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39A | ||||||||||
| Contractor | SpaceX | ||||||||||
| Invalid value for parameter "type" | |||||||||||
| Invalid parameter | 2034 | ||||||||||
| "location" should not be set for flyby missions | Shangri-La dune fields | ||||||||||
| "distance" should not be set for missions of this nature | 8 km (5.0 mi) per flight (planned) | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| File:Dragonfly Mission Insignia.png Dragonfly Mission Insignia | |||||||||||
Dragonfly is a planned New Frontiers NASA mission to send a robotic helicopter to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. It is planned to launch in July 2028 and arrive in 2034. Dragonfly will be the first aircraft to fly on Titan. It will be the first to make controlled, powered flights on any moon. The mission will study the chemistry needed for life and if life could exist on other moons. Dragonfly will use its ability to take off and land in one place to move between different sites on Titan.[1][2]
Overview[change]
Dragonfly is a mission to Titan, Saturn's largest moon, to study if it could support life and to learn about its chemistry. The mission will use a robotic helicopter to fly to different places on Titan's surface. It will take samples from many areas to study different types of soil and rocks.
Titan is a good place to study for life because its surface has complex chemicals, and both liquid water and liquid hydrocarbons may exist there. These could create conditions similar to early Earth, which is important for studying how life might begin.
If Dragonfly flies successfully, it will become the second rotorcraft to fly on a planet or moon other than Earth. The first was Ingenuity, a helicopter that flew on Mars in 2021 as part of the Perseverance rover mission.[3][4]
References[change]
- ↑ E. P. Turtle; J. W. Barnes; M. G. Trainer; R. D. Lorenz; S. M. MacKenzie; et al. (March 2017). Dragonfly: Exploring Titan's Prebiotic Organic Chemistry and Habitability (PDF). 48th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Bibcode:2017LPI....48.1958T.
- ↑ N. T. Redd (25 April 2017). ""Dragonfly" Drone Could Explore Saturn Moon Titan". Space.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ↑ R. D. Lorenz; E. P. Turtle; J. W. Barnes; M. G. Trainer; D. Adams; et al. (October 2018). "Dragonfly: A Rotorcraft Lander Concept for Scientific Exploration at Titan" (PDF). Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest. 34 (3). APL: 374–387. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ↑ "NASA Selects Johns Hopkins APL-Led Mission to Titan for Further Development". APL. 21 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018.