Officials with the U.S. space agency NASA say they are making plans for the sixth flight of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter, designed to stretch the craft’s capabilities and demonstrate how similar aircraft can support future missions to the planet.
Officials with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) which designed and operates the craft, said the next mission will expand on progress made during its previous May 7 flight, its first one-way trip to a new landing site.
Scientists said the sixth flight will also be the first of Ingenuity’s demonstration phase. During its first five flights, the Ingenuity team wanted to know if the aircraft would work as designed — take off, fly, land and take pictures in the process. They also wanted to test its battery functions and performance in Mars’ extreme climate. In all cases, the scientists said it performed beyond expectations.
In the new phase, Ingenuity will show its practical applications, including scouting multiple surface features from the air and landing at a different airfield. During this phase, data and images from the flight will be returned to Earth for analysis in the days following.
JPL scientists say flight six begins with the helicopter ascending to 10 meters, then heading southwest for about 150 meters, when it will begin taking color pictures of the surrounding area. That will demonstrate its ability to provide aerial views for future prospective missions. It will then fly another 50 meters and touch down on its new base of operations, known as Field C.
The flight is expected to last about 140 seconds — its longest flight yet — marking the first time the craft does not land on a site it did not first survey from the air. The team chose the site based on images received from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is circling the planet.
The sixth flight will be the first in which the Perseverance rover will not record images of the helicopter, as it is preparing for the start of the mission’s science operations.
The 1.8-kilogram aircraft arrived on Mars packed away on NASA’s Perseverance rover when it landed on the planet in February. Aside from solar batteries and a transmitter, Ingenuity carries no scientific instruments.