SpaceX wins NASA contract for Marshall-managed Dragonfly mission

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December 2, 2024

Artist’s concept of Dragonfly soaring over the dunes of Saturn’s moon Titan. (NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben)

WASHINGTON — NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the Dragonfly mission, the fourth mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

The rotorcraft lander mission is designed to explore Saturn’s moon Titan. Dragonfly will sample materials and determine surface composition in different geologic settings, advancing our search for the building blocks of life.

The firm-fixed-price contract has a value of approximately $256.6 million, which includes launch services and other mission related costs. The Dragonfly mission has a launch window from July 5-25, 2028 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Dragonfly centers on a novel approach to planetary exploration, employing the rotorcraft-lander to travel between and sample diverse sites on Saturn’s largest moon.

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