NASA has awarded SpaceX a $256.6 million contract to provide launch services for the upcoming Dragonfly mission, set to explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. This groundbreaking mission aims to search for the building blocks of life and advance our understanding of the solar system.
Announced on Monday, the contract includes launch services and other mission-related costs. Dragonfly is scheduled to launch between July 5 and July 25, 2028, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Dragonfly represents a novel approach to planetary exploration. It will employ a rotorcraft lander, essentially a drone-like spacecraft, capable of flying to multiple locations on Titan’s surface. This mobility allows it to sample diverse geological environments, something unprecedented in space exploration.
“Dragonfly will explore Titan’s rich organic chemistry and habitability,” said a NASA spokesperson. “By flying to various sites, it will investigate how far prebiotic chemistry may have progressed.”
One of the mission’s key objectives is to search for chemical indications of past or present life, whether water-based or hydrocarbon-based. Titan’s environment, with its carbon-rich material and the presence of liquid water in the past, makes it a prime candidate for such studies.
The Dragonfly mission is expected to significantly advance our understanding of Titan and contribute to the broader quest to uncover the mysteries of life’s origins in the universe.
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NASA awards SpaceX launch services contract for new mission to Titan
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