{"id":239138,"date":"2026-08-18T13:44:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T23:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=239138"},"modified":"2026-08-18T13:44:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T23:44:54","slug":"flying-robots-titan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/18\/flying-robots-titan\/","title":{"rendered":"Flying robots could explore caves on Saturn\u2019s largest moon"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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NASA<\/abbr>‘s Cassini studied Titan, Saturn\u2019s largest moon. (Photo credit: NASA<\/abbr>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> College of Engineering<\/a> researcher is developing a new kind of flying robot that could one day explore caves on Saturn\u2019s largest moon.<\/p>\n

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Top: Tens of thousands of potential subsurface access points have been identified on Titan using topographic data from the Cassini mission. Bottom: SPARK<\/abbr> aerobots, deployed from a larger lander, would enter the caves of Titan and perform valuable scientific investigations. They use distributed atmospheric ion thrusters which leverage the beneficial atmosphere of Titan for highly efficient and maneuverable flight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Assistant Professor Daniel Drew from UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>\u2019s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has received a NASA<\/abbr> Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC<\/abbr>) Phase I<\/abbr> award to study the idea. His project is one of 18 innovative concepts selected by NASA<\/abbr> for early stage research. The project, called SPARK<\/abbr> (Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst), envisions small, roughly 3-foot-wide flying robots that could enter caves and other difficult-to-reach areas on Titan.<\/p>\n

Titan is one of the most intriguing places in the solar system. It has a thick atmosphere, a landscape shaped by methane and other chemicals, and features that may include caves and underground formations. Exploring those areas could give scientists new clues about Titan\u2019s geology and climate history.<\/p>\n

Moving without moving parts<\/h2>\n
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Assistant Professor Daniel Drew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The SPARK<\/abbr> robots would be designed to float and maneuver through Titan\u2019s atmosphere without traditional propellers. Instead, they would use electric fields and charged particles to create thrust. The propulsion system has no moving parts and could allow the robots to move in different directions with very little disturbance to their surroundings. Conditions on Titan are uniquely beneficial for this type of propulsion; preliminary calculations show that it could drastically outperform alternatives. Unlike conventional ion thrusters, it does not require carrying propellant gas onboard, as the air itself is ionized during operation.<\/p>\n

“If we can make this technology work, it could open up an entirely new way to explore places on Titan that are too difficult or risky for a larger spacecraft,” Drew said. “It\u2019s exciting to see our university and our state contributing to the future of space exploration and showing that important ideas for exploring other worlds can come from right here in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

Next steps<\/h2>\n

The $175,000 award will support a nine-month initial investigation. Drew\u2019s team will test the propulsion system under conditions similar to Titan\u2019s atmosphere, study the robot\u2019s potential performance, and explore the overall system design. The project is being conducted in partnership with researchers at NASA<\/abbr>\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Blue Marble Space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exploring those areas could give scientists new clues about Titan\u2019s geology and climate history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":239146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[179,1592,182,1467,1363,9],"class_list":["post-239138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-college-of-engineering","tag-electrical-and-computer-engineering","tag-engineering","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t