NASA's Mars Helicopter preps for 71st Flight on the Red Planet

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is preparing to take to the Martian skies for the 71st time on Saturday, January 6. The tiny helicopter will fly more than 355 meters for 125 seconds to reposition itself for the next excursion on the Red Planet.

During Flight 71, Ingenuity will attempt to fly at an altitude of 12 meters at a maximum speed of 7m/s. This will be its first aerial venture of 2024. The last flight, Flight 70, took place on December 22, when it travelled 260 meters in 132 seconds - nearly the length of 9 blue whales.

Ingenuity is ready for Flight 71. 🚁The #MarsHelicopter will attempt to fly as early as tomorrow, Jan. 6, and is expected to travel 358 meters for 125 seconds. More stats are available in the flight log: https://t.co/gZGMtzWER6 pic.twitter.com/N3gxaeBqlM

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) January 5, 2024

Ingenuity travelled to Mars attached to the belly of NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed on the Martian surface on February 18, 2021. Its primary goal was to demonstrate powered flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, which has only about 1% of Earth's atmospheric density.

The first flight of Ingenuity occurred on April 19, 2021, and since then the Mars Helicopter has consistently demonstrated its capabilities, pushing the boundaries of aerial exploration and providing valuable data. The helicopter's ability to scout and explore areas that are challenging to reach with rovers has proven instrumental for NASA's missions on the Red Planet.

Ingenuity's success has paved the way for future missions and discoveries in our neighbouring planet.