High-Fidelity Computational Modeling of Dragonfly Lander during Preparation for Powered Flight

The Dragonfly relocatable lander was selected as NASA's New Frontiers mission in 2019 to explore the organic-rich surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The coaxial quadrotor vehicle will fly to multiple geologic sites covering a distance of over 50 miles near the Titan equator. At each site, Dragonfly will sample materials, determine the surface composition, and investigate how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed on Titan. Upon arrival, the lander will enter the Titan atmosphere protected inside an aeroshell, which will descend and decelerate with parachutes. At an altitude of approximately 1 km above the ground, the lander will separate from the backshell and perform a controlled transition to powered flight. Prior to separation from the backshell and after the heatshield has been ejected, the Preparation for Powered Flight (PPF) sequence will be initiated, which ensures the lander is in a safe and stable state for autonomous descent. A critical element of PPF is the de-spin maneuver, where diagonally opposing rotors rotate at maximum speed to reduce any residual angular momentum by creating a yaw moment in lander body axes. This paper presents high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations of the Dragonfly rotorcraft lander during the PPF sequence. Aerodynamic performance predictions are compared with test data from the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex to validate the simulations and build confidence in the PPF simulation results. Blade-resolved simulations capture the unsteady and complex flow behavior in Titan's dense, low-temperature atmospheric conditions during PPF. The results are analyzed, providing insight into aerodynamic performance and the aerodynamic moments critical for mission success.