plannedNASA / APL
Dragonfly
Nuclear-powered rotorcraft lander (octocopter) that will explore Saturn's largest moon Titan. Titan has a thick nitrogen atmosphere, methane lakes, and complex organic chemistry — conditions potentially analogous to early Earth. Dragonfly will hop between locations sampling surface materials and searching for biosignatures.
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Budget
$3.35B (revised 2024)
Timeline
2028–2034
Key Milestones
Spacecraft design and fabrication at Johns Hopkins APL
2025
Launch window to Saturn system
2028
Arrive at Titan — begin surface exploration at Shangri-La dunes
2034
Contractors
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Sources
- dragonfly.jhuapl.edu
- nasa.gov