by NASA / Johns Hopkins Applied Physics LaboratoryUS
Explore Titan's prebiotic chemistry, assess habitability and collect samples from diverse geologic sites using an autonomous aerial platform.
Critical Design Review completed; launch scheduled July 2028 on Falcon Heavy. Arrival late 2034.
Updated 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week
Eight rotors powered by an RTG enable flight in Titan's dense atmosphere and low gravity (1.4% of Earth's).
An RTG converts heat from decaying plutonium-238 into electricity, providing continuous power independent of sunlight for the entire 3+ year mission.
Dragonfly carries instruments to collect surface and subsurface samples, analyze organic compounds and search for chemical signatures of past or present life.
| Spec | Dragonfly |
|---|---|
| Mission cost estimate | $3+ billionR (reported) |
| Scheduled launch | July 2028R (reported) |
| Scheduled arrival at Titan | Late 2034R (reported) |
| Primary mission duration | 3.3 yearsR (reported) |
| Power source | Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG)R (reported) |
| Flight frequency | Approximately every 16 Earth daysR (reported) |
R reported by the company
NASA / Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Johns Hopkins APL, space missions, Dragonfly, national security
Johns Hopkins APL is a Navy-sponsored University-Affiliated Research Center founded in 1942. With more than 9,000 staff and a $2.09B budget, it designs NASA missions including Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered rotorcraft for Titan exploration.
