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Space

Rolling boulders on Titan could threaten NASA's Dragonfly mission

The wind on Saturn's largest moon is strong enough to blow around rocks of up to half a metre in diameter, which could put NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission at risk

By James Woodford

17 March 2025

An artist’s impression of the Dragonfly rotorcraft on the surface of Titan

NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

NASA’s Dragonfly mission is due to land on Titan in 2034, giving us an unprecedented look at Saturn’s largest moon – but it may also have to dodge wind-driven rolling boulders.

The mission, which will launch in 2028, includes a “rotorcraft” that will explore the moon from the skies. We have had only one up-close glimpse at Titan, thanks to the Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe, which reached the surface in 2005. That mission revealed fields of rounded boulders as well as radar-bright…

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