NASA NIAC funds spherical SPARK aerobots to explore Titan caves
A NASA NIAC grant is funding development of SPARK Aerobots, spherical flying robots, to explore the caves on Saturn's moon Titan, where regular rovers can't easily traverse Titan's surface because of the hydrocarbon-covered terrain and underground sinkholes and caves.
These bots use special ion thrusters to glide through Titan's tough terrain and could open up a whole new way of exploring distant worlds.
Daniel Drew leads 9-month Titan grant
Led by Daniel Drew from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the project aims to explore Titan's caves while minimizing downwash disturbance of scientifically-important hydrocarbon layering.
The research is beginning a nine-month Phase 1 grant and would need to get through an up-to-two-year Phase 2 before things look "more realistic."
While it's unclear if these Aerobots would be ready in time for the 2028 Dragonfly mission, targeted for a 2028 launch, their technology could inspire all-electric aircraft, indoor drones, and mini-flying swarms here on Earth.