NASA announced today that Ingenuity, the first robot to fly over the skies of an alien world, suffered damage to its rotor blades during its most recent jump and is “no longer capable of flight.”
“The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first air vehicle on another planet, has come to an end,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
“This remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best – make the impossible possible,” Nelson added. “Through missions like Ingenuity, NASA is paving the way for future flights across our solar system and smarter, safer human exploration to Mars and beyond.”
Ingenuity landed on the floor of Mars’ Jezero Crater in February 2021, along with NASA’s Perseverance rover.
The 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) helicopter was tasked with demonstrating that powered flight on Mars was indeed possible despite the planet’s thin atmosphere – something it quickly accomplished during a five-flight mission that spring.
NASA later gave Ingenuity an extended mission, in which the rotorcraft served as a scout for the life-hunting, sample-collecting Perseverance. During this new mission, Ingenuity flew 67 flights, far exceeding the expectations of the mission’s scientists and engineers.
Although the small helicopter’s main mission was intended to last only 30 days, it remained operational on the Martian surface for nearly three years. According to the mission’s flight logs, Ingenuity spent about 129 minutes in the air during its 72 Red Planet flights, covering about 11 miles (17.7 kilometers).
However, Ingenuity encountered some problems during its last flight on January 18. During this sortie, “communication between the helicopter and rover ended prematurely before landing,” NASA said in a statement.
The mission team was able to re-establish contact with Ingenuity, but NASA officials wrote in today’s update that images collected by the helicopter during its January 18 flight revealed that one or more of its four rotor blades “were damaged during landing.”
While Ingenuity’s flying days may be over, the helicopter’s legacy is secure. Ingenuity’s success on Mars, which has earned a place in the book of human exploration records, will likely lead to further aerial exploration of the Red Planet.
Indeed, NASA plans to send two Ingenuity-like helicopters to help Perseverance collect samples for its return to Earth, and the agency is developing larger and more capable helicopters that could one day conduct their own science missions on the Red Planet. When that day comes, they will owe it to Ginny.
