Published on January 27, 2024 at 4:32 p.m.
The Ingenuity helicopter's extraordinary adventure on Mars is over after 72 flights.
A light and fragile blade
It was a damaged rotor blade upon landing of this 72nd and final aircraft that abruptly ended the mission. Pretty impressive for the helicopter, which was originally only intended for five flights. Given the success of this mission, NASA decided to continue it as long as possible.
A touch of Quebec
The resounding success of this historic mission is due in part to the participation of Quebec engineer Farah Alibay. It made flight to another planet possible for the first time. Attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, Ingenuity landed on Mars on February 18, 2021. Two months later it completed its first flight.
Beyond expectations
Always pushed by NASA to fly higher and further, Ingenuity covered a total of 17 km and accumulated just over two hours of flight time. Perseverance must continue its solo mission without its valuable scout. The helicopter had found another purpose: to identify the most passable routes and areas of interest for the rover. Ingenuity reached a height of 24 meters and a speed of 36 km/h.