The Mars helicopter “Ingenuity”, originally designed for a 30-day mission, has now successfully completed more than 50 flights. However, there was a minor incident on the 53rd flight, as the US space agency NASA announced.
The helicopter had to make an unplanned landing halfway through its scheduled flight. The exact cause of this event is currently under investigation.
The 54th flight, a relatively short “jump” of 25 seconds, went according to plan. The data from this flight will now help to further investigate the incident during the 53rd flight.
Mission extended indefinitely
Shortly afterwards, the helicopter, which is powered by lithium-ion batteries and weighs about 1.8 kilograms, became the first aircraft to complete a flight on another planet. The helicopter’s mission, which was supposed to last only 30 days and has to endure extreme conditions on Mars, has long been extended indefinitely.
“Ingenuity” had arrived aboard the rover “Perseverance” (endurance), which landed in February 2021 – after 203 flying days and 472 million kilometers traveled – with a risky maneuver in a dry Martian lake called Jezero Crater.
Source: Krone
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