NASA announced that it has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for its ambitious Dragonfly mission that will place a rotorcraft lander at Saturn's moon of Titan as part of its New Frontiers Program.

The space agency announced a $256.6 million contract with SpaceX to support the launch of the Dragonfly mission – a rotorcraft lander mission under NASA's New Frontiers Program, which funds a series of medium-class spacecraft expeditions to explore the solar system. Dragonfly is the fourth mission in this program, and will cost about $3.35 billion.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy has launched 11 times, all successfully, and is based on the Falcon 9 rocket rated to ferry people into orbit. NASA already certified Falcon Heavy to launch its most expensive robotic missions, such as the Europa Clipper mission, which launched last month.

Expanding on the success of Ingenuity, NASA will send another first of its kind helicopter mission to explore outside Earth, Saturn’s biggest moon Titan.

NASA’s Dragonfly mission will soon embark on one of the most ambitious space exploration endeavors to date. The mission, which will explore Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is set to launch in July 2028 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket.

The powerful Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the Dragonfly spacecraft on a multi-year journey to Saturn’s largest moon Titan.