NASA Selects SpaceX Falcon Heavy for $3.35 Billion Dragonfly Mission to Titan

The groundbreaking mission will send a nuclear-powered rotorcraft to explore Saturn's largest moon for signs of life, launching in 2028.

NASA awarded SpaceX a $256.6 million contract to launch the Dragonfly mission aboard its Falcon Heavy rocket in July 2028.
Dragonfly will explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon, using a nuclear-powered rotorcraft to study its habitability and search for signs of life.
The mission, part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, will investigate Titan's prebiotic chemistry and assess whether water-based or hydrocarbon-based life could have existed there.
The Dragonfly rotorcraft will spend 2.5 years on Titan, traveling between diverse geologic sites to collect and analyze samples.
The mission's cost has risen significantly since its 2019 selection, with delays and redesigns contributing to a total budget of $3.35 billion.