Nasa plans to send a drone named Dragonfly to Saturn’s biggest moon, Titan, the space agency said on Thursday, announcing Nasa’s latest high-profile mission to explore the solar system for clues on humanity’s origins.
“Today I am proud to announce that our next New Frontiers mission, Dragonfly, will explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan,” Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a video teleconference.
Dragonfly, a golf-cart sized drone with four propellers, will embark on an eight-year mission in 2026 to Titan, a moon orbiting the gaseous planet Saturn known for its similarity to Earth’s early characteristics and research potential for studying the origins of life.
The nuclear-powered Dragonfly will be the first drone lander with the capability to fly over 100 miles through Titan’s thick atmosphere, Bridenstine said.
“Titan is unlike any other place in our solar system, and the most comparable to early Earth,” he added.
Dragonfly’s instruments will evaluate Titan’s habitability and search for chemical signatures of past or even present life, Bridenstine said.
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