NASA has selected SpaceX to launch its upcoming Dragonfly mission to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. The mission aims to explore Titan’s diverse environments and search for the building blocks of life.
Dragonfly is a rotorcraft lander designed to fly across Titan’s surface, sampling materials and studying the moon’s geology and chemistry. By visiting multiple locations, Dragonfly will investigate how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed on Titan, where carbon-rich material and liquid water may have mixed for long periods.
The contract awarded to SpaceX is valued at approximately $256.6 million and includes launch services and other mission-related costs. Dragonfly is scheduled to launch in July 2028 aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Titan is unique in our solar system, with a dense atmosphere and liquid hydrocarbon lakes on its surface. Studying Titan can provide insights into the early Earth and the potential for life elsewhere in the universe.
Dragonfly’s innovative rotorcraft design allows it to fly over Titan’s rugged terrain, landing at various sites to conduct experiments. The mission will help scientists understand the habitability of Titan’s environment and search for signs of water-based or hydrocarbon-based life.
