https://scitechdaily.com/nasa-dragon...ns-moon-titan/
Dragonfly is a NASA mission that delivers a rotorcraft to Saturn’s moon Titan to
advance our search for the building blocks of life. While Dragonfly was
originally scheduled to launch in 2026, NASA has requested the Dragonfly team
pursue their alternative launch readiness date in 2027. No changes will be
needed to the mission architecture to accommodate this new date, and launching
at a later date will not affect Dragonfly’s science return or capabilities once
at Titan.
The decision to pursue the alternative launch date is based on factors external
to the Dragonfly project team, including COVID-19’s impact on the Planetary
Science Division’s budget.
“NASA has the utmost confidence in the Dragonfly team to deliver a successful
mission that conducts compelling science,” said Lori Glaze, Director for the
Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Dragonfly will
significantly increase our understanding of this richly organic world and help
answer key astrobiology questions in our search to understand the processes that
supported the development of life on Earth.”
Dragonfly marks the first time NASA will fly a multi-rotor vehicle for science
on another planet. Taking advantage of Titan’s dense atmosphere – four times
denser than Earth’s – it will also become the first vehicle ever to fly its
entire science payload to multiple locations for repeatable and targeted access
to surface materials. By surveying dozens of locations across the icy world,
Dragonfly will characterize the habitability of Titan’s environment and
investigate the progression of its prebiotic chemistry.
*