Johns Hopkins APL · Titan Rotorcraft Lander / Aerial Science · USA · Digital Age (2010–present)
Open in interactive gallery →See aircraft like this on the live radar →Dragonfly is NASA's planned rotorcraft mission to Saturn's moon Titan, scheduled to launch on a Falcon Heavy in July 2028 and arrive at Titan in 2034. It will be the first powered, controlled aircraft mission to a body in the outer solar system. Built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the airframe is a roughly 450 kg eight-rotor multicopter, far larger than the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter that preceded it. Dragonfly is the fourth selected mission of NASA's New Frontiers programme.
Titan's atmosphere is the rotorcraft mission planner's dream. Surface pressure is about 1.5 atmospheres (50% denser than Earth's), surface gravity is only 14% of Earth's, and the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen with methane clouds — chemically benign for the airframe. Together these conditions make Titan flight much easier than Mars: a 450 kg multicopter at Titan needs about the same hover power as a 7 kg multicopter at Earth. Dragonfly is designed to make multi-tens-of-kilometre flights between sample sites, taking days or weeks of charging between flights using a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) the same as the one powering the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers.
The mission profile centres on astrobiology. Titan is the only body other than Earth with stable surface liquids — methane and ethane lakes — and the only place we know where prebiotic chemistry can be observed at scale. Dragonfly will sample dozens of geological sites across about 175 km of traverse, examining ground composition with a mass spectrometer (DraMS) and imaging team-relevant samples with a camera (DragonCam) and gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer (DraGNS). The selected primary mission area is the equatorial dune fields near the Selk impact crater.
Dragonfly was selected by NASA in 2019 from competitive proposals against a Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return mission. The cost cap is approximately USD$3.35 billion, with Johns Hopkins APL as principal investigator. Launch is scheduled for July 2028 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center; arrival at Titan in 2034 with a 7-year cruise. Surface mission duration is planned for 32 months (2 Titan years).
Dragonfly is a NASA spacecraft that will fly around Saturn's moon Titan. It looks like a giant drone with eight rotors. It weighs about 450 kg, which is heavier than a grand piano. NASA plans to launch it in July 2028, and it will arrive at Titan in 2034.
Titan is one of the best places in our solar system for flying a drone. Its air is thicker than Earth's air. Its gravity is also very weak. This means Dragonfly can hover using much less power than a drone here on Earth.
Dragonfly is bigger than the Ingenuity helicopter that flew on Mars. It will fly many tens of kilometers between different landing spots on Titan. Each flight takes a lot of energy, so Dragonfly rests and recharges between trips.
Dragonfly gets its power from a special generator. This same type of generator powers the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on Mars. It does not need sunlight, which is great because Titan is very far from the Sun.
This mission is the first powered aircraft ever sent to the outer solar system. It is built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. Scientists are very excited to explore Titan up close for the first time.
Dragonfly is a NASA drone spacecraft with eight rotors. It will fly around Titan, which is a moon of Saturn. It is the first powered aircraft mission to the outer solar system.
Titan's air is thicker than Earth's air, and its gravity is very weak. This makes it much easier to fly there than on Mars. Dragonfly can lift its full weight using much less power than a drone would need on Earth.
Dragonfly uses a special generator that makes electricity from heat. It does not need solar panels or sunlight. The same type of generator powers the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on Mars.
Dragonfly is planned to launch in July 2028. It will reach Titan in 2034. That is a six-year trip through space!
July 2028 from Kennedy Space Center on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. Cruise time to Saturn is about seven years, with arrival at Titan scheduled for 2034.
Titan's atmosphere is 1.5× denser than Earth's at surface, and gravity is only 14% of Earth's. A 450 kg rotorcraft on Titan has roughly the same hover-power requirement as a 7 kg rotorcraft on Earth — much easier than the Mars rotorcraft challenge (1% atmospheric density). Titan is essentially the easiest place in the solar system to fly a heavy rotorcraft.
Astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry. Titan is the only body other than Earth with stable surface liquids (methane and ethane lakes) and a complex organic-chemistry-rich atmosphere. Dragonfly will sample geological sites across about 175 km of traverse, examining surface composition with a mass spectrometer, gamma-ray spectrometer, and camera package.
A Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) — a small plutonium-238 RTG that produces about 100 W of electrical power continuously. The MMRTG charges a lithium-ion battery during the long Titan day; flights occur in bursts of 30-60 minutes when the battery is fully charged. Same MMRTG type as Curiosity and Perseverance.
About 450 kg (990 lb) — roughly 250× the mass of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter. Eight rotors arranged in four pairs, body about the size of a small car. Will land on Titan's surface and recharge between flights of typically 8 km hop distance.