Topline<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s revolutionary mission to explore the surface of the only moon in the solar system with an Earth-like atmosphere just got a step closer to launch. With engineers completing critical structural testing and beginning full spacecraft integration, the Dragonfly mission \u2014 a drone-like rotorcraft designed to explore Saturn\u2019s largest moon, Titan \u2014 brings one of NASA\u2019s most ambitious planetary missions a step closer to its planned July 2028 launch.<\/p>\n
Artist\u2019s impression of NASA’s Dragonfly soaring over the dunes of Saturn\u2019s moon Titan. It has passed critical structural and vibration tests as the space agency\u2019s revolutionary Titan rotorcraft moves a step closer to its 2028 launch.<\/p>\n
NASA\/Johns Hopkins APL\/Steve GribbenKey Facts<\/p>\n
Saturn\u2019s largest moon, Titan, is the only other world in the solar system other than Earth that has weather and liquid on its surface. It has an atmosphere, rain, lakes, oceans, shorelines, valleys, mountain ridges, mesas and dunes.<\/p>\n
Dragonfly will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, between July 5-25, 2028, possibly coinciding with a total solar eclipse on July 22, 2028,<\/a> in Australia and New Zealand 8. Dragonfly will arrive at Titan in 2034.<\/p>\n Titan\u2019s nitrogen-rich atmosphere is four times denser than Earth\u2019s, allowing the car-sized Dragonfly drone\u2019s eight rotors to easily fly between promising landing sites every Titan day (16 Earth days) to collect and study samples. It will be the first controlled aircraft to fly on another celestial body.<\/p>\n During its 3.3-year mission, Dragonfly will not search for signs of life, but prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and Earth \u2014 chemistry that predates biology on Earth.<\/p>\n Dragonfly Is Ahead Of Schedule<\/p>\n Engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland recently delivered Dragonfly\u2019s nearly 13-foot-long fuselage ahead of schedule after completing a month of structural testing. The distinctive frame already resembles the aircraft that will eventually soar through Titan\u2019s dense orange skies, complete with landing skids, support arms for its eight rotors and the housing for its nuclear power system. \u201cIt was pretty awesome to see the lander, as we designed it, become real,\u201d said<\/a> Hunter Reeling, Dragonfly\u2019s thermal-mechanical integration and test lead at APL. With the structural phase complete, engineers have now begun installing the spacecraft\u2019s electrical wiring, flight hardware and onboard systems. Over the coming months, avionics, scientific instruments and thermal insulation will gradually transform the frame into the flying science laboratory destined for the outer solar system. \u201cFrom here, it\u2019s about populating that structure with electronics boxes, instruments, wiring, insulation\u2014everything that will enable its mission,\u201d said Reeling. \u201cIt\u2019s all about getting Dragonfly ready to launch.\u201d<\/p>\n Suspended by four bungee cords, the Dragonfly structure is positioned inches above the floor during ground vibration tests in one of Johns Hopkins APL\u2019s clean rooms in Laurel, Maryland. These tests give engineers the opportunity to see how vibrations in Dragonfly\u2019s rotors may resonate across the lander\u2019s main body, potentially interfering with other equipment.<\/p>\n NASA\/Johns Hopkins APL\/Ed WhitmanWHAT TITAN IS LIKE<\/p>\n A dense, nitrogen-rich atmosphere is not the only odd characteristic about Titan. It sees just 1% of the sunlight received by Earth, making solar power impossible \u2014 the reason why Dragonfly is nuclear-powered. Gravity on Titan is just 14% of the Earth\u2019s, making flight relatively easy, though other conditions are punishing. The spacecraft is designed to survive temperatures approaching -290\u00b0F (-179\u00b0C), methane rainfall and swirling hydrocarbon dust.<\/p>\n How Dragonfly Could Rewrite Planetary Science<\/p>\n Scheduled to arrive at Titan in 2034, Dragonfly will become the first rotorcraft to explore another moon. Thanks to Titan\u2019s dense atmosphere and weak gravity, the nuclear-powered vehicle will be able to fly tens of miles between scientific sites, investigating ancient impact craters, frozen dunes and landscapes shaped by rivers and lakes of liquid methane. Scientists hope Dragonfly will search for the complex organic chemistry that may resemble the conditions that existed on the early Earth before life emerged. Along the way, it will investigate Titan\u2019s methane weather cycle and assess whether the moon could offer clues about how life begins in the universe.<\/p>\n Background<\/p>\n Dragonfly won\u2019t be humanity\u2019s first visitor to Titan. In January 2005, the European Space Agency\u2019s Huygens probe \u2014 carried to Saturn by NASA\u2019s Cassini spacecraft \u2014 became the first and only spacecraft to land on the mysterious moon. During its two-and-a-half-hour descent through Titan\u2019s thick orange atmosphere, Huygens captured the first-ever views of the surface, revealing river channels, ancient shorelines and a landscape shaped by liquid methane rather than water. It eventually touched down among rounded blocks of water ice, providing an extraordinary glimpse of one of the solar system\u2019s most Earth-like \u2014 and yet alien \u2014 worlds.<\/p>\n Further readingForbesYour Ultimate Guide To Stargazing And Astronomy In 2026By Jamie Carter<\/a>Forbes7 Spectacular Stargazing Events To See This SummerBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesIt\u2019s Exactly 2 Years Until A Total Solar Eclipse Visits Sydney HarborBy Jamie Carter<\/a>Forbes1,000 Days Until \u2018God Of Chaos\u2019 Asteroid Stuns SkywatchersBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesStrange \u2018Space Clouds\u2019 Seen Glowing Across Northern HemisphereBy Jamie Carter<\/a>Forbes7 Stargazing Accessories You Need This Summer \u2014 And When To Use ThemBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesIt\u2019s Exactly 2 Years Until A Total Solar Eclipse Visits Sydney HarborBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline NASA\u2019s revolutionary mission to explore the surface of the only moon in the solar system with an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":859452,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[64,63,32580,429435,429434,398067,169577,405425,128,22038,429436,429432,429433],"class_list":["post-859451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-dragonfly","tag-dragonfly-launch","tag-johns-hopkins-apl","tag-nasa-dragonfly","tag-nasa-spacecraft","tag-saturn-moon","tag-science","tag-space-mission","tag-titan-exploration","tag-titan-mission","tag-titan-rotorcraft"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/859452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}