March 28, 2024

Saturn’s Moon Titan Beckons As NASA’s Dragonfly Mission Achieves Critical Milestone

Space Exploration Sector engineers (from left) John Samsock, Anthony Drewicz and Stephanie Lepchenske work with a test platform in the Dragonfly Flight Lab. The objective group is making progress on a number of technical aspects of Dragonfly, consisting of the rotorcraft-landers flight and autonomy systems. Credit: Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman
The PDR– a requirement for all NASA objectives– covers subjects such as spacecraft style, mission requirements, science strategies, danger, schedule, and cost. Held at APL, which manages the mission and will build and operate the Dragonfly lander, the PDR consisted of more than 60 presentations to a panel of external professionals entrusted with evaluating and assessing mission development for NASA.
” Im excited to see all of the Dragonfly objectives design parts coming together,” said Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This objective teams effort has actually led to the technical design for a spacecraft that can carry out engaging science to increase our understanding of Titan.”
NASA will think about the boards findings in a confirmation evaluation later this year, examining Dragonflys expense, schedule, and the suggested standard strategy forward.
” The team did a wonderful task,” said Dragonfly Principal Investigator Zibi Turtle, likewise of APL. “Everyone worked so difficult to ensure the review board had a clear idea not simply of the terrific development weve made to liquidate the design but of our technical obstacles, and how we plan to conquer them. Were incredibly excited to have actually finished this action, and are all set to continue our deal with the next phase of Dragonfly development– including testing in the large Titan-environment chamber here at APL over the next year.”
Dragonfly group members pause throughout the objective preliminary style evaluation, held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, from Feb. 27-March 3. Many other employee went to the PDR essentially. Credit: Johns Hopkins APL
Dragonfly fixates a game-changing method to planetary expedition, utilizing a rotorcraft-lander to take a trip in between and sample varied sites on this mysterious world. Dragonfly will identify the habitability of Titans environment, investigate the progression of prebiotic chemistry in an environment where carbon-rich product and liquid water might have blended for a prolonged duration, and even look for chemical indicators of whether hydrocarbon-based or water-based life when existed on Titan.
Dragonfly is being developed and developed under the direction of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, which manages the Dragonfly mission for NASA. The team consists of essential partners at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado; NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California; NASAs Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania; Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California; Honeybee Robotics in Pasadena, California; NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; the French space company (CNES) in Paris; the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germany; and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tokyo. Dragonfly is the 4th mission in NASAs New Frontiers Program, managed by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agencys Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

The Dragonfly objective, which is the 4th in NASAs New Frontiers Program, aims to check out Titan using a rotorcraft-lander to examine the moons habitability, prebiotic chemistry, and potential signs of life.
Dragonfly team members time out throughout the mission preliminary design evaluation, held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, from Feb. 27-March 3. Dragonfly is being designed and built under the instructions of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, which handles the Dragonfly mission for NASA. The team includes crucial partners at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado; NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California; NASAs Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania; Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California; Honeybee Robotics in Pasadena, California; NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; the French area company (CNES) in Paris; the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germany; and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tokyo. Dragonfly is the 4th objective in NASAs New Frontiers Program, handled by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agencys Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Artists impression of the Dragonfly rotorcraft-lander on the surface of Titan, Saturns largest moon and a significant target in NASAs mission to assess habitability and look for possible signs of life beyond Earth on worlds throughout the solar system. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben
NASAs Dragonfly Team Soars through Major Design Review
The Dragonfly mission, led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), just recently passed the weeklong Preliminary Design Review (PDR), a vital milestone. The Dragonfly mission, which is the fourth in NASAs New Frontiers Program, intends to explore Titan using a rotorcraft-lander to investigate the moons habitability, prebiotic chemistry, and potential signs of life.
Led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, the team recently crossed a significant turning point on that path, successfully passing all the technical requirements and standards of the weeklong Preliminary Design Review (PDR) that wrapped up on March 3.
” I am very happy with the whole Dragonfly team,” stated Bobby Braun, head of APLs Space Exploration Sector. “APL, NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin, and all of our partners actually came together to deliver a reliable technical standard. The fidelity and thought that went into each decision was plainly communicated and forms a solid foundation upon which the team can develop.”