NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is officially a success! This comes after NASA re-established contact with the intrepid Ingenuity Mars Helicopter after more than 63 days (two months) of radio silence.
During the flight on April 26, the mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California lost touch with the helicopter as it was descending towards the surface for landing.
The goal of Flight 52, a 1,191-foot (363-meter) and 139-second-long flight, was to reposition the helicopter and take images of the Martian surface for the rover’s science team.
Communication Dropout
The Ingenuity team expected the communications dropout because a hill stood between the helicopter’s landing location and the Perseverance rover’s position, blocking communication between the two. The rover acts as a radio relay between the helicopter and mission controllers at JPL.
In anticipation of this loss of communications, the Ingenuity team had already developed re-contact plans for when the rover would drive back within range. Contact was re-established on June 28 when Perseverance crested the hill and could see Ingenuity again.
“The portion of Jezero Crater the rover and helicopter are currently exploring has a lot of rugged terrain, which makes communications dropouts more likely,” said JPL’s Josh Anderson, the Ingenuity team lead, in an official press release.
“The team’s goal is to keep Ingenuity ahead of Perseverance, which occasionally involves temporarily pushing beyond communication limits. We’re excited to be back in communication range with Ingenuity and receive confirmation of Flight 52,” he added.
NASA's Mars Helicopter
The mini rotorcraft, which accompanied the Perseverance rover to Mars in early 2021, has surpassed its initial 30-day mission and successfully completed five test flights, proving the viability of its technology.
Since then, Ingenuity has been utilized numerous times as an aerial scout, supporting the rover in its quest to discover traces of ancient microbial life from a time when Mars possessed a more hospitable environment with greater warmth and water.
Ingenuity has been engineered to operate independently during communication gaps, ensuring its own safety and functionality. Initial data suggests that the helicopter is in excellent condition. Pending further health assessments, Ingenuity will be ready for its next flight, directed westward towards an intriguing rocky outcrop that has captured the interest of the Perseverance team.
This is not the first instance where Ingenuity has encountered communication challenges. In April, while exploring an ancient river delta, the helicopter temporarily went missing for approximately six days.
