MAJOR EVENTS
- 1655 MAR 25
Titan dicovered - 1979 SEP 02
First ever close-up picture taken - 1997 OCT 15
Cassini-Huygens launches - 2004 MAY 20
Best resolution picture to-date - 2004 JUL 01
Cassini-Huygens reaches Saturn - 2005 JAN 14
Huygens lands on Titan - 2010 FEB 03
NASA extends mission - 2017 to Come
Cassini's exploration ends - 2017 and Beyond
Future missions
FUTURE PLANS FOR TITAN
The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) is a joint NASA/ESA proposal for exploration of Saturn's moons. It envisions a hot-air balloon to float in the moon's atmosphere for six months. It was competing against the Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) proposal for funding.
In February 2009 it was announced that ESA/NASA had given the EJSM mission priority ahead of the TSSM, although TSSM will continue to be studied for a later launch date. There has also been a proposal for a Titan Mare Explorer (TiME), which would be a low-cost lander that would splash down in a lake near Titan's north pole and float on the surface of the lake for 3 to 6 months. It could launch as early as 2016 and arrive in 2023.