NASA said it lost contact with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during a test flight this week and is now unsure of its condition.
Ingenuity made its 72nd successful flight over the surface of the red planet, according to a NASA statement issued on Friday.
The flight was intended only to check the helicopter’s systems after an unexpected landing on a previous flight.
“Ingenuity data sent to the Perseverance rover (which acts as a link between the helicopter and Earth) during the flight showed that it successfully climbed to its maximum specified altitude of 40 feet,” the agency said.
However, when descending, Ingenuity and Perseverance lost communication with each other, leaving the Ingenuity team unaware of the condition of the helicopter.
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NASA officials said the team was analyzing available data to try to re-establish contact with the helicopter.
Ingenuity and Perseverance landed on Mars in February 2021. The two worked together, with Perseverance hunting for evidence of past life on the red planet and Ingenuity acting as the rover’s scout.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab said in a post on
Despite recent setbacks, Ingenuity doesn’t seem suited to life on Mars.
Originally thought to be capable of only five flights over the planet’s harsh 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 re-establish communications again.
2024-01-20 22:28:00
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