NASA has funded a concept for aerobots to explore Titan's caves
NASA has provided initial funding for the SPARK project, which involves spherical flying robots that could one day explore the caves of Titan, a moon of Saturn. The grant was awarded as part of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, which supports early-stage concepts for promising space technologies, according to Space.com.
SPARK stands for Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst. The developers plan to use electrohydrodynamic ion engines in the vehicles. Project leader Daniel Drew believes that this design can provide maneuverability and durability in near-cryogenic conditions while minimizing the impact of airflow on hydrocarbon layers critical to research.
Titan has rivers, lakes, and seas of hydrocarbons, including methane and ethane, as well as a karst landscape with sinkholes and caves. According to the project team’s assessment, it would be difficult for a rover to navigate such terrain, whereas aircraft could reach hard-to-access areas.
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Drew, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has been working on electrohydrodynamic propulsion systems since his graduate studies. According to him, he previously developed centimeter-scale microrobots using atmospheric ion engines and demonstrated the takeoff of a craft carrying a payload. At the same time, the researcher noted that this technology has low energy efficiency and, for most terrestrial applications, will not be able to compete with conventional rotors and jet engines without a significant technological breakthrough.
The first phase of the grant will last nine months. The team plans to identify priority subsystems—particularly those related to power supply—and simulate the thermal impact on the power system. For a more realistic launch timeline, SPARK must at least complete the second phase of the program, which could last up to two years. The launch of NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Titan is currently scheduled for 2028, but Drew could not say whether the aerobots would be ready in time to join this mission.
