1.5, a drogue parachute will deploy, to slow the capsule to subsonic speeds. Due to Titan's comparably thick atmosphere and low gravity, the drogue chute phase will last for 80 minutes. A larger main parachute will replace the drogue chute when the descent speed is sufficiently low. During the 20 minutes on the main chute, the lander will be prepared for separation. The heat shield will be jettisoned, the landing skids will be extended, and sensors such as radar and lidar will be activated. At an altitude of , the lander will be released from its parachute, for a powered flight to the surface. The specific landing site and flight operation will be performed autonomously. This is required since the high gain antenna will not be deployed during descent, and because communication between Earth and Titan takes minutes, each way. Landing site The Dragonfly rotorcraft will land initially in dunes to the southeast of the Selk impact structure at the edge of the dark region called Shangri-La. It will explore this region in a series of flights of up to each, and acquire samples from compelling areas with a diverse geography. After landing it will travel to the Selk impact crater, where in addition to tholin organic compounds, there is evidence of past liquid water. The Selk crater is a geologically young impact crater in diameter, located about north-northwest of the Huygens lander. () Infrared measurements and other spectra by the Cassini orbiter show that the adjacent terrain exhibits a brightness suggestive of differences in thermal structure or composition, possibly caused by cryovolcanism generated by the impact — a fluidized ejecta blanket and fluid flows, now water ice. Such a region featuring a mix of organic compounds and water ice is a compelling target to assess how far the prebiotic chemistry may have progressed at the surface. See also – A mission concept of a Titan aircraft. Ingenuity – A rotorcraft that flew as part of Mars 2020 in April 2021. , other New Frontiers 4 finalist. . Oceanus (Titan orbiter) – A Titan orbiter, also proposed for New Frontiers 4. References External links APL Dragonfly Web site Final Study Report on Titan Aerial Daughtercraft (PDF), 2017 NASA Is Sending a Life-Hunting Drone to Saturn's Huge Moon Titan Extraterrestrial aircraft Hopping spacecraft Missions to Saturn New Frontiers program NASA space probes Astrobiology space missions Quadcopters Rotorcraft Titan (moon) 2027 in