NASA plans to land a car-sized drone on Titan
NASA is planning to land a car-sized drone on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, as part of the Dragonfly drone mission.
Here's What We Know
The drone will land on Titan six years after its launch from Earth in 2034.
A video released by Lockheed Martin, part of the Dragonfly team, shows how the spacecraft will deliver the drone to Titan's surface. The drone will use its rotors to make a controlled landing, reminiscent of the Perseverance rover's landing on Mars.
Titan your seatbelts!@NASA has confirmed that development of the Dragonfly rotorcraft will continue into final design, construction and testing as it progresses toward its historic mission to Saturn's moon Titan, launching in July 2028.
- Lockheed Martin Space (@LMSpace) 18 April 2024
We are excited to help bring Dragonfly... pic.twitter.com/v1oiElI8fx
Titan, with its resemblance to early Earth, is attracting the attention of scientists as a potential source of important information about the origin of life. The Dragonfly mission will not only expand our understanding of this mysterious satellite, but will also be a crucial step in space exploration.
Dragonfly was selected as part of NASA's New Frontiers programme, which already includes successful missions such as New Horizons, Juno and OSIRIS-REx.
Source: Digital Trends
