There NASA confirmed the mission Dragonflywhose goal is to explore Titanone of the moons of Saturn, using a nuclear-powered aircraft. The departure was postponed from July 2027 to July 2028while arrival on the moon is scheduled for 2034. Although the costs of the mission are doubled Compared to its selection in 2019 as a frontier mission, reaching approximately $3.35 billion, NASA has confirmed its commitment. This increase is due to various reasons, including replanning to meet budget constraints, impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, material supply chain issues, and a detailed mission review.
This increased cost and pressure on the Agency’s budget will have implications for future programmes. For example, the presentation of new designs for frontier missions, initially scheduled for 2023, has been postponed to 2026. Despite this, NASA continues to support Dragonfly.
To allow Dragonfly to reach Titan on schedule despite the delay in departure, NASA intends to use a heavy launcher, capable of lifting loads between 20 and 50 tons.
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