TARA: Concept study for an ESA Voyage Titan exploration mission

Abstract

As a study relevant to the ESA’s “Voyage 2050” programme, we present an ambitious L-class mission concept aimed at exploring one of the most intriguing bodies in the Solar System – Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Titan is a planet-like moon rich in organic compounds and features complex interactions between its interior, surface, and atmosphere, similar to those seen on Earth. Additionally, Titan is one of the few places in the Solar System with the highest potential for eventual habitability. Despite the groundbreaking discoveries made by the Cassini-Huygens mission, Titan still holds many mysteries that demand further exploration using more advanced technologies and diverse exploration vehicles. Our proposed mission, named TARA (Titan Atmospheric Research Ascendant), aims to conduct both orbital and in situ investigations of Titan, surpassing the scientific and technological achievements of Cassini-Huygens. TARA would provide comprehensive and close-up exploration of Titan over extended periods, utilizing capabilities that were previously unattainable. The mission architecture consists of two primary components: an orbiter equipped with an extensive suite of instruments that would orbit Titan, ideally in a low-eccentricity circular polar orbit, and an ornithopter equipped with a set of in situ exploration elements, both aimed to study Titan’s atmospheric dynamics and the evolution of pre-biotic environment. The ideal mission timeline would target an arrival at Titan just before its next northern Spring equinox in 2039, a period of heightened activity for observing Titan’s still poorly understood seasonal atmospheric and surface changes. TARA’s focus on Titan’s northern latitudes would complement NASA’s upcoming Dragonfly mission, which is scheduled to explore Titan’s equatorial regions in the mid-2030s. Together, these missions would provide comprehensive temporal, spatial, and scientific coverage of this fascinating moon.