NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has sent its final message to Earth and will now serve as a stationary data-gathering unit on the surface of the red planet, the space agency announced on Tuesday. The aircraft, the size of a tissue box, made history by conducting the first powered flight on another planet after being carried under the belly of the Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars on April 19, 2021.
NASA referred to it as a “long goodbye,” stating that the Ingenuity team received the final message from the #MarsHelicopter. The helicopter will collect data as a stationary testbed that could benefit future explorers of Mars. Originally meant for just five test runs to prove flight was possible in the thin Martian atmosphere, Ingenuity exceeded expectations by being deployed a total of 72 times and logging over two hours of flight time despite challenges like dust storms, tough terrain, technical issues, and cold weather.
Its mission expanded to act as an aerial scout to assist the Perseverance rover in searching for evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars when the planet was more hospitable. Although designed to operate in springtime due to its solar-powered heating system, the helicopter faced challenges during the winter when the flight computer would freeze overnight. NASA had to develop new protocols to address this issue.
On Monday, NASA announced efforts to expedite the return of Martian rocks collected by Perseverance in a more cost-effective manner, following criticisms of budget overruns. Meanwhile, China is making progress towards a sample return mission to Mars by around 2030 that would be simpler and more straightforward, potentially making it the first nation to achieve this milestone.