TitanSaturn’s moon, will one day be visited by Dragonfly, an 850 kg octocopter-drone, during a mission programmed by the NASA. Titan is absolutely unique in the solar system, with its dense atmosphere rich in organic compounds and liquid lakes on its surface. These lakes, which are composed of methane from freezing temperatures of around -190°C (the melting point of methane is -182°C), form a cycle similar to the water cycle on Earth, with clouds , rain and therefore lakes. The Dragonfly will be launched in 2028 by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and is expected to arrive at its destination in 2034, with scientists’ hope being to discover other forms of life (or distant traces of other forms of life).
Dragonfly, part of NASA’s New Frontier program, will be equipped with advanced scientific instruments, including a mass spectrometer provided by CNES to analyze Titan’s atmosphere and surface. With a total cost of around $2 billion, this mission follows the exploit of the Cassini probe and its Huygens lander in 2005, which had already revealed the richness and strangeness of Saturn’s natural satellite. Considered a “primitive Earth,” the moon Titan could allow scientists to shed light on the conditions that allowed life to emerge on Earth, reinforcing its status as a major target for space exploration.
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