Uploaded June 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In 2026, NASA will launch a quadcopter drone called Dragonfly to Saturn, to land on its huge moon Titan in 2034. The moon has a thick atmosphere and 1/7th Earth's gravity, so there are multiple steps to landing. First it will use a heat shield to ram through the "air", then a parachute to slow it further, then the lander itself takes over, flying over the surface to check out the best place to touch down.
Credit: JHUAPL
More info: syfy.com/syfywire/nasa-will-be-sending-a-quadcopter-called-dragonfly-to-titan
Original video: http://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/Gallery/#Gallery
In 2026, NASA will launch a quadcopter drone called Dragonfly to Saturn, to land on its huge moon Titan in 2034. The moon has a thick atmosphere and 1/7th Earth's gravity, so there are multiple steps to landing. First it will use a heat shield to ram through the "air", then a parachute to slow it further, then the lander itself takes over, flying over the surface to check out the best place to touch down.
Credit: JHUAPL
More info: syfy.com/syfywire/nasa-will-be-sending-a-quadcopter-called-dragonfly-to-titan
Original video: http://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/Gallery/#Gallery
