NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Sustains Damage

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission on the Red Planet. Even though the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers it suffered damage to one or more of its rotor blades and can no longer be flown.

Originally, it was designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days. It surpassed expectations and performed 72 flights, and flew more than 14 times farther than planned.

It was the first aircraft to fly on another planet.

“The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first aircraft on another planet, has come to end,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best – make the impossible, possible.

Through missions like Ingenuity, NASA is paving the way for future flight in our solar system and smarter, safer human exploration to Mars and beyond.”