Ingenuity (helicopter)

"Mars helicopter" redirects here. For Mars aircraft in general, see Mars aircraft.
"Wright Brothers Field" redirects here. For other uses, see Wright Field (disambiguation).

Ingenuity
Part of Mars 2020
A robotic helicopter on the surface of Mars
Ingenuity at Wright Brothers Field on 6 April 2021, its third day of deployment on Mars
TypeExtraterrestrial autonomous UAV helicopter
Serial no.IGY (civil registration)
OwnerNASA
ManufacturerJet Propulsion Laboratory
Specifications
Dimensions121 cm × 49 cm × 52 cm (48 in × 19 in × 20 in)
Dry mass1.8 kilograms (4.0 lb)[1]
CommunicationZigbee transponder with base station on Perseverance
Power6 Solar-charged Sony VTC4 Li-ion batteries; typical motor input power: 350 watt[2]
Instruments
History
Deployed
First flight
Last flight
  • 18 January 2024 (to and from Airfield Chi (χ) in Valinor Hills)
Flights72
Flight time2 hr 8 min 55 sec, cumulative
Travelled
  • Horizontal: 17.242 km (10.714 mi) on Mars
  • Vertical: max. 24 m (79 ft)

Data from NASA Mars Helicopter Flight Log

  • Maximum speed: 22.4 mph (36.0 km/h, 19.5 kn)
FateRetired due to sustained rotor blade damage[4]
LocationJezero crater, Mars[3]
NASA Mars helicopters

Ingenuity, nicknamed Ginny, is an autonomous NASA helicopter that operated on Mars from 2021 to 2024 as part of the Mars 2020 mission. Ingenuity made its first flight on 19 April 2021, demonstrating that flight is possible in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, and becoming the first aircraft to conduct a powered and controlled extra-terrestrial flight. It was designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with AeroVironment, NASA's Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center with some components supplied by Lockheed Martin Space, Qualcomm, and SolAero.

Ingenuity was delivered to Mars on 18 February 2021, attached to the underside of the Perseverance rover, which landed at Octavia E. Butler Landing near the western rim of the 45 km-wide (28 mi) Jezero crater. Because radio signals take between five and 20 minutes to travel between Earth and Mars, depending on the planets' positions, it could not be controlled directly in real time but flew autonomously to execute flight plans designed and sent to it by JPL.

Originally intended to make only five flights, Ingenuity completed 72 flights in nearly three years. The five planned flights were part of a 30-sol technology demonstration intended to prove its airworthiness with flights of up to 90 seconds at altitudes ranging from 3–5 m (10–16 ft). Following this demonstration, JPL designed a series of operational flights to explore how aerial scouts could help explore Mars and other worlds. In this operational role, Ingenuity scouted areas of interest for the Perseverance rover, improved navigational techniques, and explored the limits of its flight envelope. Ingenuity's performance and resilience in the harsh Martian environment greatly exceeded expectations, allowing it to perform far more flights than were initially planned. On 18 January 2024, Ingenuity had a rotor blade break off (as shown in images gathered by Perseverance, processed in February 2024) while landing on its 72nd flight, permanently grounding the helicopter. NASA announced the end of its mission one week later. Ingenuity had flown for a total of two hours, eight minutes and 48 seconds over 1,004 days, covering more than 17 kilometres (11 mi).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference landing press kit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NASA_2020_04_16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NASAGoddard_2021_10_26 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.