Kraken Mare Archives

Orbital evolution of satellites, in the relative system, to Constellation Titan -- Satellite Navigation

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Saturn, Status Report, Titan

Flower-like Satellite Constellations To Guide Future Missions Around TitanSatellite Navigation

by Keith CowingNovember 12, 2025November 12, 2025

Exploring Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, presents unique orbital challenges due to its dense atmosphere, gravitational perturbations, and limited sunlight. A new study proposes an innovative satellite constellation architecture based on […]

Cassini’s antenna is pointed at the predicted specular point where the angle of incidence (θi) equals the angle of reflection (θr), measured from the local vertical. Right circularly polarized (RCP) signals were transmitted, and at least one of the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas on Earth captured the echo. At the surface of Titan, a left circularly polarized (LCP) component of the echo signal was generated, requiring the presence on the ground of two receiving channels. Complex samples of each receiver output were collected at 16,000 samples/s and stored for later processing. The purpose of this figure is to illustrate the geometry of the observations and distances on the coordinate axes that are not drawn to scale. -- Nature Communications

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Analysis Of Cassini Data Yields Insights Into Titan’s Seas

by Keith CowingJuly 29, 2024July 29, 2024

A new study of radar experiment data from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn has yielded fresh insights related to the makeup and activity of the liquid hydrocarbon seas near the […]