Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Archives - Astrobiology

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 […]

Ariel - NASA.gov

Ariel, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Miranda, Press Release, Uranus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Worlds: New Study Suggests Trench-Like Features on Uranus’ Moon Ariel May Be Windows to Its Interior

by Keith CowingFebruary 4, 2025February 4, 2025

Last year, a study led by planetary scientist Richard Cartwright at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, proposed that deposits of carbon dioxide ice and other […]

Dragonfly explores Titan -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Launch Services Contract Awarded For Dragonfly Astrobiology Mission

by Keith CowingNovember 26, 2024

NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the Dragonfly mission, a rotorcraft lander mission under NASA’s New Frontiers Program, designed to explore Saturn’s moon Titan. The mission will […]

Miranda -- NASA

Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Miranda, Press Release, Uranus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Uranus’ Moon Miranda May Have An Ocean Beneath Its Surface

by Keith CowingOctober 30, 2024

A new study suggests Uranus’ moon Miranda may harbor a water ocean beneath its surface, a finding that would challenge many assumptions about the moon’s history and composition and could […]

Ariel as seen by Voyager 2 -- NASA

Ariel, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Uranus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Webb Observes Carbon Oxides On Uranus’ Moon Ariel That Hint At A Hidden Ocean

by Keith CowingJuly 26, 2024July 26, 2024

The surface of Uranus’ moon Ariel is coated with a significant amount of carbon dioxide ice, especially on its “trailing hemisphere” that always faces away from the moon’s direction of […]

Artist’s Impression: Dragonfly Departs and heads off toward its next landing spot on Titan. Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Missions & Hardware, NASA Astrobiology Program, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors

Dragonfly Astrobiology Mission To Titan Can Proceed With Final Mission Design Work

by Keith CowingNovember 28, 2023November 28, 2023

NASA’s Dragonfly mission has been authorized to proceed with work on final mission design and fabrication – known as Phase C – during fiscal year (FY) 2024. The agency is […]