NASA's next $1 billion space mission will be an alien-hunting nuclear helicopter that flies around Saturn's icy moon Titan

NASA



NASA's next $1 billion mission to space will send a nuclear-powered helicopter to explore the skies of Saturn's moon, Titan.




This "Dragonfly" drone will investigate the icy moon, sampling and measuring the compositions of Titan's surface.




That survey will help scientists look for signs of life on the distant moon.




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NASA has announced humanity's next big feat of space exploration.
In 15 years, the space agency said, scientists may land a nuclear-powered helicopter on the surface of Saturn's icy moon, Titan. The drone-like rotorcraft, nicknamed "Dragonfly," would skim and scan the moon's surface while seeking out signs of past — or present — microbial alien life.
According to NASA, Dragonfly will be slated to launch around 2026 and arrive at Titan in 2034. It was one of a dozen $850 million mission concepts that research teams pitched to the space agency in 2017.