Cassini Swarm
In June 2014, TitanTech Exploration, LLC and NASA formed a Cassini Swarm Strategic Executive Committee.
The executive committee was tasked with developing a strategic plan to measure the atmospheric content and rain distribution on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, using a Distributed Sensing and Observation of Planetary Systems (DiSOPS) approach.
Starting with the initial data from NASA's Cassini mission, the executive committee analyzed available opportunities and developed a set of goals and recommendations to effectively survey the atmospheric content and rain distribution by using a series of distributed, low-cost CubeSats orbiting Titan.
We leveraged the initial recommendations and key findings from the Cassini mission as a starting point for our Cassini Swarm mission.
The Cassini mission successfully landed the Huygens probe on the surface of Titan on January 14, 2005. The Huygens probe was
designed to take measurements of atmospheric composition and wind speeds, and images of the terrain during its decent. However, because the the Huygens probe was powered by battery, it was only able to send information for 90 minutes after touchdown.
The goal of the Cassini Swarm mission is to improve the resolution and lifetime of atmospheric measurements on Titan.
STRATEGIC PLANNING FRAMEWORK
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY