The exploration program of Saturn’s moon Titan, considered a place in the solar system with a high possibility of life, has been confirmed.
The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on the 19th that it will launch the Dragonfly (Sangsangdo) drone for Titan exploration in July 2028. Dragonfly is expected to arrive on Titan in 2034.
With a diameter of 5,152 km, Titan is the second largest satellite in the solar system after Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. The orbital period around Saturn is 16 days and the average temperature is -179.5 degrees Celsius. The surface is composed of ice and rock. The atmosphere is made up of 98.4% nitrogen and the rest methane and hydrogen. The average atmospheric pressure of this satellite is 146.7 kilopascals (㎪), which is 1.4 times higher than Earth’s average atmospheric pressure of 101.3 ㎪. For this reason, the scientific community considers the possibility that life exists on Titan to be low.
However, with the recent discovery of hydrocarbon compounds, nitrile, and oxygen compounds on Titan, and the presumption that there is an ocean beneath the surface, Titan has emerged as a candidate for life. The confirmation of Dragonfly’s launch schedule also reflects these expectations. NASA Director Bill Nelson announced in an interview with the Korea Economic Daily last month that he would send a probe to Titan.
NASA optimized Dragonfly to search for life on Titan. Last year, a wind tunnel test was conducted at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia to simulate the operation of eight rotors (rotors) and see whether they could fly without problems even in extreme atmospheres.
Dragonfly is equipped with a measurement instrument called a mass spectrometer (DraMS). If an area to explore is found during the flight, a hole is drilled, a sample of less than 1 g is collected, the sample is placed in an enclosed space where DraMS is installed, and its composition is analyzed using a laser. “Dragonfly will push the limits of what helicopters can accomplish outside of Earth,” said Nikki Fox, NASA associate administrator for Science Mission Directorate.
Reporter Kang Kyung-ju qurasoha@hankyung.com
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