NASA is inviting the public to send their names to Saturn’s moon Titan aboard Dragonfly, a rotorcraft mission that will become the first scientific mission to fly across and explore the surface of another world. Names submitted for inclusion on a microchip aboard the spacecraft will be commemorated with a personalized digital boarding pass.
Names can be submitted through January 2027
The public can join Dragonfly’s passenger list until January 15, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
“NASA’s Dragonfly mission is simply amazing,” said Nicky Fox, deputy administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By flying the first-ever rotorcraft science mission, NASA will explore Saturn’s largest moon Titan, searching for signs of habitability on distant worlds most similar to our own. We’re excited to take humanity on a once-in-a-lifetime journey, and we’re asking you to send your names to this small but mighty rotorcraft that will unlock the secrets of the universe on what is widely considered one of the most exciting space missions of our lifetime.”
Exploring Titan’s methane lakes and organic dunes
Dragonfly is currently being assembled at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. Scheduled to launch in 2028, the rotorcraft will travel to Titan, a world with a thick atmosphere, rivers and lakes of liquid methane, vast sand dunes, and a landscape rich in organic material.
Dragonfly is expected to arrive at Titan in 2034. It will then fly between different locations on the moon, studying its varied environments and looking for clues about prebiotic chemistry—the chemistry that existed before biology. The mission is intended to help scientists better understand the ingredients and conditions that may be needed for life.
Mission leadership
Dragonfly is designed and built under the direction of APL, which leads the mission for NASA. Elizabeth Turtle of APL is the principal investigator. The mission is the fourth in NASA’s New Frontiers program and is managed by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate through the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
More information about NASA’s Dragonfly mission is available through NASA’s mission resources.
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 / 240-419-1732
[email protected] / [email protected]
Mike Buckley
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
443-567-3145
[email protected]
Source: www.nasa.gov