The NASA ship will exceed 1.6 billion kilometers to explore the moon

Titan, Saturn's largest moon, will become the target of NASA spacecraft launched in 2026 in search of life.

The US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will bring nuclear-powered unmanned aerial vehicles to Titan, Saturn's largest moon, to explore many locations in search of signs of life. At a press conference on June 27, NASA said a double-winged four-wing aircraft called Dragonfly would fly from one location to another on Titan, the moon having similar conditions to the Earth 4 billion years ago.

Dragonfly will explore many locations on Titan moon.(Photo: NASA).

If successful, Dragonfly can reveal the course of life that arises on Earth, thus providing useful data for the search for life in the universe.The Dragonfly project is part of NASA's New Frontiers program, which aims to understand how chemical conditions pave the way for a biological organization to grow.

Scientists have long considered Titan an attractive place to study the ability to support microbial life. Titan's terrain is mainly sand dunes and water containing hydrocarbon compounds, including liquid methane and ethane. This lunar surface is made of hard ice-like ice. Beneath the hidden crust containing liquid water reserves is believed to have the same temperature as the shallow waters in the Pacific Ocean. In Titan's organic chemical composition there are complex molecules that can form the basis for life.

Dragonfly will be launched in 2026 and reach Titan soonest in 2034 after crossing the 1.6 billion km route. The spacecraft combines unmanned aircraft and amphibious equipment designed to take advantage of Titan's gravity and aerodynamics, maximizing the ability to explore.

The devices on Dragonfly are similar to NASA's Curiosity Mars. Dragonfly will operate on nuclear power with a radionuclide electric generator instead of relying on sunlight. Titan's atmosphere is too thick for sunlight to penetrate. The ship will be equipped with many scientific equipment to detect complex organic matter and biological signs. Dragonfly can also measure seismic activity to explore the ocean beneath Titan's crust.

"Dragonfly is the first drone-type amphibious device , able to fly more than 160 km through Titan's thick atmosphere," said Jim Bridenstine, NASA manager. "Titan has the same conditions as the earliest Earth. Dragonfly's devices will evaluate organic chemistry and chemical traces of past or present life. We will launch Dragonfly to explore. boundaries of human knowledge for the benefit of mankind ".