NASA lost contact with its Ingenuity helicopter on Mars

Ingenuity was originally supposed to take off only five times, but the mission exceeded all expectations. In total, the helicopter traveled about 17 kilometers and thus became the traveling companion of the Perseverance rover.

After NASA lost contact with its small helicopter on Mars, called Ingenuity, as it was making its 72nd flight, the space agency announced it was looking for a way to re-establish communications.

The helicopter, which resembles a large drone, became the first motorized vehicle to fly to another planet in 2021. He arrived on Mars with the Perseverance rover, which acted as a relay to transmit data between the helicopter and Earth.

Ingenuity reached an altitude of 12 meters during its flight this Thursday, January 18, NASA explained in a message published this Friday evening.

But “during its descent, communications between the helicopter and the rover ended early, before landing,” NASA wrote.

Data analysis

The American space agency added that the teams in charge of the helicopter were “analyzing the available data and considering the next steps to re-establish communication with the helicopter.”

“After landing earlier than planned during a previous flight, the flight was planned to check the helicopter’s systems,” she said.

At X (ex-Twitter)NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in charge of the machine, also announced that the Perseverance rover cannot currently see Ingenuity, but its teams “may consider driving closer for a visual inspection”.

NASA has temporarily lost contact with the helicopter in the past, most notably for an extended period of nearly two months last year, but this disruption was planned after.

Remarkable longevity

Chaturya, which weighs only 1.8 kg, was originally supposed to fly only five times, but the mission exceeded all expectations. In total, the helicopter traveled about 17 kilometers, and flew up to a height of 24 meters.

Its longevity is remarkable, especially given that it must survive the cold Martian nights, thanks to solar panels that charge its batteries during the day.

Thus he became a traveling companion of the Perseverance rover, whose mission is to search for traces of ancient life on Mars.

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