Ingenuity Postpones Flights Until August

Mars Helicopter

STATUS UPDATES | July 13, 2022

Ingenuity Postpones Flights Until August
Written by NASA/JPL

The first flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter – and the first powered, controlled flight on another planet – was captured in this image from Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, on April 19, 2021.

Ingenuity's First Flight Recorded by Mastcam-Z: The first flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter – and the first powered, controlled flight on another planet – was captured in this image from Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, on April 19, 2021. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU. Download image ›

It’s now dust season and winter on Mars, meaning there’s more dust in the air and less sunlight to help recharge Ingenuity’s batteries. Dust levels are expected to subside later in July, so the team has decided to give the helicopter’s batteries a break for a few weeks and build their daily state of charge back up. Weather permitting, Ingenuity is expected to be back in the air around the start of August.

About This Blog

These blog updates are provided by the Mars Helicopter team. The Mars Helicopter is a technology demonstration to test the first powered flight on Mars.

Dates of planned test activities are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays, helicopter and/or rover status.

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