Notably, the Dragonfly launch was one of the first times the United Launch Alliance was eligible to bid the new Vulcan rocket for a NASA launch contract. Following the successful debut launch of ULA’s new rocket earlier this year, NASA officials gave the green light for the Vulcan rocket to compete directly with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. SpaceX came out on top in this competition.
Half-life is 88 years
NASA’s policy for new space missions is to use solar power whenever possible. For example, the Europa Clipper was originally planned to use nuclear power generators, but engineers hoped to use vast solar panels to capture enough sunlight to generate electricity even on Jupiter, which is far from the sun. devised a method for ships.
However, there are some missions where this is not possible. One of them is the Dragonfly, which flies through Titan’s nitrogen and methane soup. Saturn’s largest moon is covered in clouds, and Titan is 10 times closer to the sun than Earth, so its surface is relatively dark.
Dragonfly will launch with approximately 4.8 kilograms of plutonium-238 to fuel its generator. Plutonium-238 has a half-life of 88 years. With no moving parts, RTGs are extremely reliable and have been proven to power spacecraft for decades. NASA’s twin-engine Voyager spacecraft is approaching 50 years since its launch.
The Dragonfly rotorcraft will launch cocooned within a transport module and entry capsule and parachute through Titan’s atmosphere, which is four times denser than Earth’s. Finally, Dragonfly separates from its descent module, activates its eight rotors, and lands safely.
Once on Titan, the dragonfly is designed to fly from place to place in numerous flights, exploring an environment rich in organic molecules, the building blocks of life. This is one of the most exciting and daring robotic missions in NASA history.
After the Dragonfly launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in July 2028, it will take about six years to reach Titan. When NASA selected the Dragonfly mission to begin development in 2019, the agency had hoped to launch the mission in 2026. NASA then told Dragonfly administrators to aim for launch in 2027 and then 2028, which required changing the mission from medium-lift to medium-lift. Heavy-lift rocket.
Dragonfly also faces rising costs as NASA blames the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and a complete redesign since the mission was selected in 2019. Adding these issues together, Dragonfly’s total budget increased to $3.35 billion, more than double its original budget. Expected cost.
