NASA’s $3,350,000,000

NASA’s Dragonfly mission, a \$3.35 billion nuclear-powered rotorcraft, has passed a major development milestone—its Critical Design Review—paving the way for final assembly and a 2028 launch. Unlike traditional rovers, Dragonfly is a flying laboratory with eight rotors, capable of hopping across Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, it will cover over 100 miles during its 2.7-year mission—more than double what all Mars rovers have managed. Its mission: explore Titan’s surface and atmosphere to investigate how life might form in extreme environments.

Titan is a prime candidate for astrobiological study due to its thick atmosphere, lakes of liquid methane and ethane, and abundance of organic molecules. Dragonfly will land in the Shangri-La region and fly to key sites like the Selk impact crater, believed to hold both organic material and water ice. By analyzing surface samples and chemical compositions, the mission aims to uncover signs of complex organic chemistry and prebiotic conditions. Whether or not it finds life, Dragonfly promises to offer valuable insights into the fundamental building blocks of life and may be a major step toward discovering extraterrestrial biology.