NASA's Ingenuity Mars Mission Ends After Three Years

Ingenuity flew 72 times over three years while examining the surface of Mars.

By Adam Barnhardt

After soaring through Martian skies for the past three years, Ingenuity's working time on the Red Planet has come to an end. NASA says that while the helicopter still maintains communication with mission specialists here on Earth, recent photos returned from the craft show irreparable damage to one of its rotoblades. That renders the chopper unable to fly across Mars' horizon.

The helicopter was created and launched to Mars as a part of NASA's wider Perseverance rover mission, and was originally designed to fly just five times over the span of 30 days. Since landing on the Martian surface nearly three years ago, Ingenuity has flown 14 times longer than expected over the span of 72 flights.

"The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first aircraft on another planet, has come to end," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a press release. "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."

Attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, Ingenuity was able to take its first flight on April 19, 2021 after landing that February.

"It's humbling Ingenuity not only carries onboard a swatch from the original Wright Flyer, but also this helicopter followed in its footsteps and proved flight is possible on another world," added Ingenuity's project manager, Teddy Tzanetos of NASA JPL. "The Mars helicopter would have never flown once, much less 72 times, if it were not for the passion and dedication of the Ingenuity and Perseverance teams. History's first Mars helicopter will leave behind an indelible mark on the future of space exploration and will inspire fleets of aircraft on Mars – and other worlds – for decades to come."

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While Ingenuity has been permanently benched, the Perseverance mission is still collecting surface samples NASA hopes to retrieve within the next decade.

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