NASA has announced two finalist proposals under its New Frontiers program.

The CAESAR mission, led by Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, would attempt to return a sample from a comet successfully explored by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. Dragonfly, led by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, would explore the prebiotic chemistry and habitability of dozens of sites on Saturn's moon Titan.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, would provide navigation support for the Dragonfly mission. JPL also would provide instruments for two other proposals selected for technology development funds to prepare them for future mission competitions. One mission would explore Venus, the other would explore Saturn's moon Enceladus.

The selected mission will be the fourth in NASA's New Frontiers program. Previously funded proposals include the JPL-led Juno mission, which is currently orbiting Jupiter.

For more information, see NASA's news release on the announcement at:

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invests-in-concept-development-for-missions-to-comet-saturn-moon-titan

News Media Contact

Dwayne Brown / Laurie CantilloHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1726 / 202-358-1077dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov / laura.l.cantillo@nasa.govMolly PorterMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.256-544-2771molly.a.porter@nasa.gov2017-323