Dragonfly Archives

Artist’s impression of Dragonfly landing on Titan. Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Science Goals and Objectives for the Dragonfly Titan Rotorcraft Relocatable Lander

by Keith CowingApril 28, 2026April 28, 2026

NASA’s Dragonfly mission will send a rotorcraft lander to the surface of Titan in the mid-2030s. Dragonfly’s science themes include investigation of Titan’s prebiotic chemistry, habitability, and potential chemical biosignatures […]

In a cleanroom at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, on April 3, 2026, (from left) Sean Gazarik, Tyler Radomsky, Amber Dubill and Emory Toomey complete a “fit check” of Dragonfly’s top deck on the rest of the rotorcraft lander’s body. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Saturn, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Astrobiology Exploration: Dragonfly Rotorcraft Hardware Integration and Parachute Test

by Keith CowingApril 24, 2026April 24, 2026

NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft is beginning to take shape – literally – with the delivery of the panels that make up the rotorcraft lander’s body. Built from ultra‑lightweight honeycomb panels designed […]

Orthographic projection of ISS data (Karkoschka et al. 2017) for Selk-centered hemisphere. (dashed inset) SAR regional mosaic colored with elevation data from Corlies et al. (2017). Source: Selection and Characteristics of the Dragonfly Landing Site near Selk Crater, Titan, The Planetary Science Journal

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors

Prebiotic Chemistry Insights for Dragonfly II: Thermodynamic Favorability of Nucleobases, Ribose, and Fatty Acids in Selk Crater on Titan

by Keith CowingApril 20, 2026April 20, 2026

Saturn’s moon Titan is a prime destination for investigating prebiotic chemistry beyond Earth, particularly at impact crater sites where transient liquid water may have enabled aqueous reactions between organic molecules.

Example of altimeter echo received from plains. This waveform was recorded during flyby T30 from an altitude of 1964.9 km at an incidence angle 0.0137°. Panel (a) shows a context map. Section of the T30 altimeter track observing the plains from point A to C. The waveform resulting from the integration of three echoes (Burst ID 131027162/4) located at point B is shown in panel (b) the altimetric model is used to fit the echo, resulting in an estimated RMS height of 4 m over the 115 square km footprints. The fitting error is indicated as a percentage by the mean integral relative error (MIRE). Panel (c) shows the large-scale topography of the plains using three elevation trackers, Maximum Likelihood, Threshold, and First Moment. All three trackers agree that the overall surface height changes less than 50 m over 50 km. -- JGR Planets

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Titan

Titan’s Plains Revealed: Evidence For A Layered Surface

by Keith CowingApril 10, 2026April 10, 2026

Undifferentiated plains are the most common terrain type on Titan, yet their composition and geologic history remain poorly understood.

Scouting hot springs in the El Tatio Geyser Field in Northern Chile with funds from a NASA Early Career Collaboration Award. Sampling was performed with permission of the Toconce and Caspana communities. --Carolynn Harris via NASA.gov

Astrobiology (general), Career Opportunities, Conferences and Meetings, Education and Outreach, NASA Astrobiology Program, Status Report

Astrobiology Early Career Opportunities: March 2026 Digest

by Keith CowingMarch 31, 2026March 31, 2026

NASA Dragonfly Guest Investigator ProgramApplication Deadline: May 29, 2026

Career Opportunities, Education and Outreach, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Titan

Dragonfly Mission’s Guest Investigator Program

by Keith CowingMarch 20, 2026March 20, 2026

Applications are currently being accepted for Cohort 7 of the Dragonfly Mission’s Guest Investigator Program, with applications due May 29th.

From left, Carlisa Drew, Seth Harvey, Anthony Fanelli, Emory Toomey and TJ Lee conduct power and functional testing on Dragonfly’s Integrated Electronics Module (IEM) and Power Switching Unit (PSU) in the cleanroom at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. The IEM is Dragonfly’s “brain,” containing the spacecraft’s core avionics; the PSUs control the flow of power to Dragonfly’s instruments and systems. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Saturn, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Dragonfly Astrobiology Mission Begins Rotorcraft Integration, Testing Stage

by Keith CowingMarch 14, 2026March 14, 2026

NASA Dragonfly’s integration and testing – the activities involved in assembling the mission’s rotorcraft lander and testing it for the rigors of launch and extreme conditions of space – is […]

This view was taken from above the ringplane and looks toward the unlit side of the rings. Here, the probe gazes upon Titan in the distance beyond Saturn and its dark and graceful rings -- NASA/JPL/SSI

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Hyperion, Impact events, Press Release, Saturn, Titan

Saturn’s Moon Titan Could Have Formed in a Merger of Two Old Moons

by Keith CowingFebruary 11, 2026

Recent research suggests that Saturn’s bright rings and its largest moon, Titan, may have both originated in collisions among its moons.

From left, Johns Hopkins APL engineers Tyler Radomsky and Felipe Ruiz install a rotor on the Dragonfly test model at the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors

Astrobiology Droid Update: Dragonfly Aerodynamic Testing

by Keith CowingFebruary 9, 2026

In sending a car-sized rotorcraft to explore Saturn’s moon Titan, NASA’s Dragonfly mission will undertake an unprecedented voyage of scientific discovery. And the work to ensure that this first-of-its-kind project […]

Locations of camera components within the Dragonfly spacecraft. -- astro-ph.IM

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Saturn, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors

Dragonfly Mission: Optomechanical Design Of The DragonCam Microscopic Camera

by Keith CowingJanuary 22, 2026January 22, 2026

The DragonCam Microscopic Camera is an instrument being developed for NASA’s Dragonfly mission [1] to Saturn’s moon Titan.

Dragonfly

Science Goals and Objectives for the Dragonfly Titan Rotorcraft Relocatable Lander

Astrobiology Exploration: Dragonfly Rotorcraft Hardware Integration and Parachute Test

Prebiotic Chemistry Insights for Dragonfly II: Thermodynamic Favorability of Nucleobases, Ribose, and Fatty Acids in Selk Crater on Titan

Titan’s Plains Revealed: Evidence For A Layered Surface

Astrobiology Early Career Opportunities: March 2026 Digest

Dragonfly Mission’s Guest Investigator Program

Dragonfly Astrobiology Mission Begins Rotorcraft Integration, Testing Stage

Saturn’s Moon Titan Could Have Formed in a Merger of Two Old Moons

Astrobiology Droid Update: Dragonfly Aerodynamic Testing

Dragonfly Mission: Optomechanical Design Of The DragonCam Microscopic Camera

Sugar Erythrulose Discovered In Interstellar Space

Sample Return: Minimizing Decompression And Warming During Deep Seawater Collection Increases Abundance And Activity Of Autochthonous Bacteria And Archaea

Sample Return From Earth’s Deep Biosphere

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,207 10 July 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

The Sun’s Chemical Peculiarity: Disentangling Galactic Chemical Evolution And Planetary Engulfment In Solar Twins