Today, we get to share a bit of happy good news. NASA is extending the mission for the little Ingenuity helicopter on Mars for one more year.

Ingenuity flew to Mars in the belly of the Perseverance rover and arrived on the red planet in February 2021. It was then released in April and since then, has demonstrated that tiny helicopters can work on Mars.

Originally, NASA planned to fly Ingenuity for just five test flights over thirty days while the commissioning of the rover took place. Twenty-one flights and more than one year later, the helicopter is still healthy. Ingenuity is being used to explore landscapes that aren’t accessible to the rover and to scout ahead to find travel paths and good rocks to sample.

In a release from NASA, associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen states: Less than a year ago we didn’t even know if powered, controlled flight of an aircraft at Mars was possible. Now, we are looking forward to Ingenuity’s involvement in Perseverance’s second science campaign. Such a transformation of mindset in such a short period is simply amazing, and one of the most historic in the annals of air and space exploration.

Next up on Ingenuity’s mission plan is a scouting mission to determine which of two dry river channels Perseverance should travel up as it explores the ancient river delta that once flowed into Jezero crater.

More Information

NASA JPL press release