SpaceX wins NASA contract for Marshall-managed Dragonfly mission

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.

Recent in Space

Researchers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville are helping NASA explore a technology that could dramatically reduce travel times for future missions to Mars and beyond. UAH is working […]

Blue Origin continues to assess the damage following an explosion involving its New Glenn rocket during a hot-fire test at Cape Canaveral late Thursday, an incident highlighting the rigorous testing […]

Next Post

Huntsville Police urge caution during annual Christmas parade

Bud McLaughlin December 02, 2024