Kennedy Space Center, Fla. — NASA is giving space enthusiasts a chance to send their names on an extraordinary journey to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, aboard the agency’s Dragonfly rotorcraft, scheduled to launch from Florida’s Space Coast in 2028.
Through NASA’s new “Send Your Name” campaign, members of the public can register to have their names included on a microchip that will travel aboard the spacecraft. Participants will also receive a personalized digital boarding pass commemorating their place on the historic mission.
The signup opportunity is open now, with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST on January 15, 2027.
Anyone interested in participating can register through NASA’s official website at https://go.nasa.gov/dragonfly-names.
While participants won’t physically make the journey, their names will travel hundreds of millions of miles through space to a world unlike any other explored by a flying spacecraft.
“NASA’s Dragonfly mission will simply blow your mind,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“By flying the first-ever rotorcraft science mission, NASA will explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, as we search for signs of habitability on a distant world that is most similar to our own.”
Launching from Florida’s Space Coast in 2028
Dragonfly is currently being assembled at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, ahead of its planned 2028 launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission will mark another major deep-space launch from the Space Coast, sending a sophisticated robotic aircraft toward one of the solar system’s most intriguing destinations.
Following its launch, Dragonfly will spend approximately six years traveling to Saturn’s moon Titan, with arrival currently expected in 2034.
Unlike traditional spacecraft that remain in orbit or rovers that travel across planetary surfaces on wheels, Dragonfly will use its eight rotors to fly between multiple locations on Titan.
The rotorcraft will investigate different environments, collect scientific measurements and search for chemical clues that could help researchers better understand how the ingredients for life develop.
Exploring a Moon With Rivers, Lakes and Dunes
Titan is one of the most fascinating destinations in the solar system because of its thick atmosphere and surprisingly Earth-like landscape.
The moon features rivers and lakes filled with liquid methane and ethane rather than water, along with vast fields of dunes and an abundance of organic materials.
Scientists are particularly interested in Titan because its environment may provide clues about prebiotic chemistry — the chemical processes that occurred before life emerged on Earth.
Dragonfly will travel to multiple locations across Titan’s surface, giving scientists an opportunity to examine environments that have never been explored up close by a mobile aerial vehicle.
The mission is led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA, with Elizabeth Turtle serving as principal investigator. Dragonfly is the fourth mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program.
How to Get Your Name Aboard Dragonfly
NASA’s signup campaign is open to the public, allowing people of all ages to participate symbolically in the mission.
After submitting their names, participants can receive a personalized digital boarding pass to save or share as a keepsake.
Registration is available at https://go.nasa.gov/dragonfly-names and remains open until January 15, 2027.
With Dragonfly’s launch planned for 2028 from Kennedy Space Center and its arrival at Titan expected in 2034, the campaign offers the public a unique opportunity to become part of a mission that could reshape scientists’ understanding of the chemistry associated with life beyond Earth.
For additional details about the spacecraft and its scientific objectives, visit https://science.nasa.gov/mission/dragonfly/.
