NASA announced this Thursday the end of the mission of its small helicopter on Mars, named Ingenuity, after it damaged at least one of its rotor blades during its 72nd and final flight. “What Ingenuity has accomplished goes far beyond what we thought possible,” NASA boss Bill Nelson underlined in a video. The helicopter “paved the way for future flights in our solar system.”
In 2021, Ingenuity became the first motorized device to fly on another planet. During its 72nd flight last week, the helicopter reached an altitude of 12 meters, but communication was abruptly interrupted shortly before landing. It was finally able to be restored but NASA teams were able to observe damage to a rotor blade a few days later. “We are looking into the possibility that the blade may have hit the ground,” Bill Nelson said.
Up to 24 meters above sea level!
The helicopter is now “no longer capable of flying”, NASA confirmed in a press release, specifying that the causes of the interruption of communications were still being studied. Ingenuity was originally only scheduled to take off five times, but the mission exceeded all expectations. In total, the helicopter traveled some 17 kilometers and flew to an altitude of 24 meters.
He had arrived on Mars with the Perseverance rover, whose mission is to find traces of ancient microbial life on Mars. He was thus able to play the role of aerial scout to help his wheeled companion. Its longevity is remarkable, especially knowing that it had to survive freezing Martian nights, warming itself thanks to solar panels charging its batteries during the day.