Key Takeaways
- The NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity is set for its 53rd flight on the Red Planet.
- It aims to reach 10 meters altitude and travel 203 meters in a single sortie.
- The mission will last about 137 seconds, testing powered flight capabilities beyond Earth.
- Ingenuity operates from Jezero Crater, attached to the Perseverance rover.
Los Angeles: NASA’s Mars helicopter is expected to conduct a new flight on the Red Planet Saturday, the agency said on Friday.
The helicopter is scheduled to reach an altitude of 10 meters and travel about 203 meters in its new flight.
It will fly for roughly 137 seconds, marking the 53th mission on Mars, according to NASA.
The helicopter, named Ingenuity, arrived at Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, attached to the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover.
The helicopter is a technology demonstration to test powered flight on another planet for the first time.
The helicopter was designed to fly for up to 90 seconds, to distances of almost 300 meters at a time and about 3 to 4.5 meters from the ground, according to NASA.
