The Ingenuity drone, which arrived on Mars at the same time as the Perseverance rover in February 2021, will be able to fly until September 2022, or even beyond. A real feat for the American and European space agencies.
On Mars, Ingenuity continue his exploits. The small Martian helicopter arrived on the red planet on February 18, 2021, at the same time as its companion, the rover Perseverance. On March 15, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced that Ingenuity would continue to fly until September 2022. A real feat for the drone, whose first missions remained uncertain. Ingenuity being the first flying device on Mars, the success of its stay on Mars is the sign of a real advance in the field of space exploration.
Incredible longevity
Over time, Ingenuity has become a loyal companion to Perseverance. Since its first test flight on April 19, 2021, the helicopter has completed 21 flights, covering nearly 4.5 kilometers in Jezero Crater. In all, Ingenuity would have spent close to 38 minutes in the tunesaccording to the JPL teams.
If the initial mission of the drone was relatively modest, namely to test the operation of a aircraft on another planet, Ingenuity took on the role of scout, paving the way for Perseverance. Equipped with cameras and various navigation instruments such as an altimeter and an inclinometer, the small helicopter allows researchers to have visibility, being able to fly up to fifteen meters in altitude. JPL has announced that it has rolled out an update allowing Ingenuity to bypass this 15-meter cap.
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced that depending on the course of its mission, Ingenuity flights could be extended beyond September 2022.
Interested in what you just read?