NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter to Continue Flying on Mars

In a news release on Tuesday, NASA announced that the Ingenuity helicopter, which became the first aircraft ever to complete a powered and controlled flight on another planet last year, will continue making trips around Mars until at least September.

"Less than a year ago we didn't even know if powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on Mars was possible," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. 

"Now, we are looking forward to Ingenuity's involvement in Perseverance's second science campaign. Such a transformation of mindset in such a short period is simply amazing, and one of the most historic in the annals of air and space exploration."

The aircraft has made 21 successful trips on Mars since April 19, 2021, with Tuesday's announcement coming shortly after its most recent flight. 

According to the agency, Ingenuity's last successful flight was the first of three trips needed for the helicopter to reach its next staging station. 

The aircraft will assist NASA's Perseverance rover in the coming months to explore the Jezero crater's river delta, which the agency has acknowledged will be difficult.

"The Jezero river delta campaign will be the biggest challenge the Ingenuity team faces since first flight on Mars," said Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity team lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

"To enhance our chances of success, we have increased the size of our team and are making upgrades to our flight software geared toward improving operational flexibility and flight safety."

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