On November 26, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a contract worth $256.6 million with SpaceX, entrusting the company with the responsibility of launching the Dragonfly rotorcraft lander to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.
NASA selects partner to explore Saturn’s moon Titan. (Photo: NASA).
The launch is expected to take place approximately between July 5 and July 25, 2028, utilizing the Falcon Heavy rocket—one of SpaceX’s most powerful rockets—from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Unlike typical space missions, Dragonfly is a unique scientific project employing a completely new exploratory approach. Instead of traditional spacecraft, NASA will deploy a rotorcraft lander—a versatile flying machine capable of moving between various locations on Titan to collect samples and study surface compositions in different geological environments. With its ability to fly and land easily, Dragonfly can access areas that previous vehicles could not reach, opening up new possibilities for groundbreaking discoveries.
The primary goal of the Dragonfly mission is to investigate the potential for life on Titan—a moon with a surface covered by a dense atmosphere and lakes and seas filled with hydrocarbons, carbon-rich organic compounds. Scientists will explore prebiotic chemical processes, where carbon compounds and liquid water may have long interacted, creating conditions suitable for life. Dragonfly will search for chemical signatures to answer the question of whether Titan could have once harbored life.
