Dragonfly

E39340

Dragonfly is a planned NASA rotorcraft lander mission designed to explore the surface and atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan to study its prebiotic chemistry and habitability.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf NASA space mission
planetary exploration mission
rotorcraft lander
arrivalDatePlanned mid-2030s
communication direct-to-Earth relay via high-gain antenna
environment Titan atmosphere
Titan surface
explorationFocus cryovolcanic and impact-related terrains on Titan
organic-rich environments on Titan
fundingAgency NASA Planetary Science Division
goal constrain conditions for life in Titan’s environment
understand pathways from simple organics to prebiotic molecules
landingMethod powered descent and landing
landingRegion Shangri-La dune fields on Titan
launchDatePlanned July 2028
managingCenter Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
missionDurationPlanned at least 2.7 Earth years on Titan surface
missionPhase planned
missionType Titan surface exploration
astrobiology mission
habitability assessment
prebiotic chemistry investigation
mobilityType dual-quadcopter rotorcraft
numberOfRotors 8
operator NASA
orbitsPrimary Saturn
powerSource Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator
powerSourceAbbreviation MMRTG
primaryLandingSite near Selk impact crater on Titan
program NASA New Frontiers program
propulsionType rotorcraft flight in Titan atmosphere
scienceInstruments cameras and imaging system
gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer
mass spectrometer
meteorology and geophysics package
seismometer
scienceObjectives assess Titan’s habitability
characterize Titan’s atmosphere
characterize Titan’s surface
investigate organic chemistry on Titan
search for chemical biosignatures
study Titan’s prebiotic chemistry
selectionDate June 2019
selectionStatus selected as New Frontiers Mission 4
spaceAgency NASA
status under development
target Titan
targetBodyType moon

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Titan
futureMissionPlanned

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