NASA said it lost contact with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter during a test flight this week and is now unsure of its condition.
According to a NASA statement released Friday, Ingenuity made its 72nd successful flight to the surface of the red planet.
The flight was for the sole purpose of checking the helicopter’s systems after an unexpected landing on a previous flight.
“Ingenuity data sent to the Perseverance rover (which serves as a link between the helicopter and Earth) during the flight showed that it managed to reach the specified maximum altitude of 40 feet,” the agency said.
However, during the descent, Ingenuity and Perseverance lost communication with each other, leaving the Ingenuity team unaware of the helicopter’s condition.
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NASA officials said the team was analyzing available data to try to reestablish contact with the helicopter.
Ingenuity and Perseverance landed on Mars in February 2021. The two worked together, with Perseverance searching for evidence of past life on the red planet and Ingenuity acting as the rover’s explorer.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab said this in a post on
Despite recent failures, Ingenuity does not appear suited to life on Mars.
Originally intended to be capable of just five flights over the planet’s hard surface, the four-pound helicopter has since completed more than 70 flights.
NASA also lost contact with the helicopter last summer, so the agency may be able to reestablish communications again.
2024-01-20 22:28:00
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