NASA’s Martian helicopter that exceeded expectations has finally died

$85 million mission officially completed

NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity is finally off the ground, “exceeding expectations.”

The former technical model ends its work by serving as a scout for the rover and proving that powered flight is possible in the thin Martian atmosphere. US space agency’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter finally gets off the ground, ‘exceeding expectations’

The Ingenuity helicopter made its last flight, writes The Guardian.

The space agency NASA announced Thursday that the 4-pound (1.8 kg) helicopter called Ingenuity will no longer be able to fly due to damage to its rotor blade. Although the craft remains upright and in contact with air traffic controllers, its $85 million mission is officially over, officials said.

Originally conceived as a short-term technical demonstrator, Ingenuity completed 72 flights to Mars over three years. He logged more than two hours of flight time on the Red Planet, covering 11 miles (18 km).

That’s more than 14 times further than planned, according to NASA. It soared to a height of 79 feet (24 meters) and reached speeds of 22.4 mph (36 km/h).

“Even though we knew this day was inevitable, it doesn’t make it any easier,” said NASA’s Laurie Glaze. “To say it exceeded expectations is almost an understatement.”

“Ingenuity” (as the name of the Ingenuity vehicle can be translated) rode on NASA’s Perseverance rover, which descended on the Red Planet in 2021. He ended up serving as a reconnaissance vehicle for the rover and proved that powered flight was possible in the thin Martian atmosphere.

Images transmitted this week from its final flight showed that one or more of its rotor blades were damaged during landing and may have struck the Martian surface. The blades are no longer usable, according to the space agency.

The helicopter climbed to 40 feet on its last flight last week, hovering for several seconds before descending. It mysteriously lost contact with a nearby rover—its communications relay—while still 3 feet off the ground. Once communication was restored, the damage was confirmed. The reason for the loss of communication is being investigated, the Guardian notes.

Ingenuity’s success prompted NASA to add two mini-helicopters to a future mission to Mars in 2022.