Ingenuity (Mars helicopter)

Ingenuity was a tiny helicopter that travelled to Mars attached to the Perseverance rover. On 19 April 2021 it made the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.

The challenge

Mars has an atmosphere about one percent as dense as Earth's. Flying there is like flying at a very high altitude on Earth. Ingenuity needed very large, very fast spinning blades and a very light body.

How it flew

It could not be flown by joystick because radio signals take minutes to reach Mars. Engineers uploaded a flight plan, and the helicopter used its own sensors and a downward camera to stay stable and land safely.

Results

It was planned for a handful of test flights and ended up flying many more, scouting terrain for the rover. Its mission ended in January 2024 after rotor damage in a landing.

Why it matters

Ingenuity proved aerial robots can work on other worlds, opening the door to future flying explorers.