NASA selects partners to explore Saturn's moon Titan

On November 26, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a $256.6 million contract with SpaceX, giving the company the responsibility of launching the Dragonfly propeller lander to Titan - Saturn's largest moon.

NASA selects partners to explore Saturn's moon Titan. (Photo: NASA).

The launch is expected to take place between July 5 and 25, 2028 , using the Falcon Heavy rocket - one of SpaceX's most powerful rockets, from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA).

Unlike conventional space missions, Dragonfly is a unique scientific project, applying a completely new method of exploration. Instead of using traditional spacecraft, NASA will send a rotorcraft-style lander - a flexible propeller machine that can move between different locations on Titan to collect samples and study the surface composition in different geological environments there. With the ability to fly and land easily, Dragonfly can reach areas that previous vehicles could not reach, opening up the hope of new discoveries.

The Dragonfly mission 's primary goal is to investigate the habitability of Titan, a planet with a thick atmosphere and lakes and seas filled with hydrocarbons, carbon-rich organic compounds. Here, scientists will study prebiotic chemistry, when carbon compounds and liquid water may have mixed for long periods of time, creating conditions suitable for life. Dragonfly will search for chemical signatures that will answer the question of whether Titan was once home to life.