Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab announced on Tuesday that NASA has cleared the Dragonfly mission to enter its next phase of development.
The mission, set for 2028, will see a nuclear-powered drone, roughly the size of a car, traverse the enigmatic and organic-rich sands of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, will build and operate the vehicle.
Following a successful preliminary design review earlier this year, NASA has officially given the green light for Dragonfly to progress to Phase C of it’s project evolution, involving final mission design and fabrication. This milestone comes after an extensive review and adjustment of the mission plan in alignment with the fiscal year 2024 president’s budget request.
Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, praised the Dragonfly team’s resilience in facing numerous challenges. “This daring endeavor to gather new science on Titan is a testament to the team’s technical prowess and commitment to mission success,” Fox stated.
Dragonfly stands as NASA’s only mission to the surface of an ocean on another world. The vehicle, which will be built and operated by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, will be outfitted with an array of cameras, sensors, and samplers. These instruments are designed to explore areas on Titan where organic materials, potentially mixed with liquid water in the past, are now frozen on the icy surface.
Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle, Dragonfly principal investigator at APL, expressed her admiration for the team’s innovative approach. “Dragonfly is a mission unlike any other,” she said. “Our team’s creativity and collaborative spirit have been key in overcoming obstacles and reaching this stage of the mission.”
Significant technical advancements mark Dragonfly’s journey thus far. These include successful tests of its guidance, navigation, and control systems over California’s desert landscapes, which mimic Titan’s dunes, extensive flight-system tests in NASA’s Langley Research Center’s unique wind tunnels, and thorough simulations in APL’s Titan Chamber to emulate the moon’s harsh conditions.
Bobby Braun, head of APL’s Space Exploration Sector, commended the team’s dedication. “The seamless integration of experts from APL, NASA centers, and our industry and academic partners has been instrumental in shaping this game-changing mission,” Braun remarked.
The Dragonfly team encompasses key partners from across the aerospace community, including NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin Space, Sikorsky, NASA’s Ames and Langley Research Centers, Penn State University, and various international space agencies.
Dragonfly is the fourth mission under NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center for the Science Mission Directorate. With a revised launch readiness date of July 2028, the mission is set to embark on a groundbreaking journey, deepening our understanding of extraterrestrial organic chemistry and the conditions that could foster life.
For more information on Dragonfly’s mission, visit Dragonfly’s official website and NASA’s Dragonfly page.
