The first scheduled flight of Nasa's Ingenuity helicopter on Mars will take place no earlier than April 11, the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced on Thursday. The Ingenuity helicopter, a technology experiment and companion of Nasa’s Perseverance rover, was previously slated to take off no sooner than April 8. It will be the first aircraft to attempt controlled flight on another planet, a feat with a high degree of difficulty.
“Come fly with us. Mars Helicopter is preparing to do something that's never been done: controlled, powered flight on another planet. Takeoff is now slated for no earlier than April 11, with data arriving on Earth on April 12,” tweeted Nasa JPL.
One of the first objectives of the helicopter was to survive the frigid Martian night, given the nights at the Red planet are as cold as minus 90 degrees Celsius. The other capabilities it needs to prove before it can take off and land include autonomously keeping warm and charging itself with its solar panel. The rover will continue to assist in communications related to the helicopter’s commissioning and flight test campaign back and forth from Earth.
{{/usCountry}}One of the first objectives of the helicopter was to survive the frigid Martian night, given the nights at the Red planet are as cold as minus 90 degrees Celsius. The other capabilities it needs to prove before it can take off and land include autonomously keeping warm and charging itself with its solar panel. The rover will continue to assist in communications related to the helicopter’s commissioning and flight test campaign back and forth from Earth.
{{/usCountry}}The Perseverance rover dropped a debris shield on March 21 that protected Ingenuity during landing and made its way to the "airfield" where the helicopter will attempt its flights. The rover has been slowly releasing the helicopter on the Martian surface. On Tuesday, Nasa JPL shared a photograph of Ingenuity with all four legs reaching out.
“We’re in the home stretch. The Mars Helicopter has lowered all four legs and is in position to touch down on the Martian surface. Once it’s fully ready, NASA Perseverance will release it gently to the surface,” JPL tweeted.
An interactive webinar preview of the flight will be held at 11:00pm IST on April 5 via Zoom, a video-conferencing platform. Experts will come together to discuss the helicopter at 10:30pm IST on April 8 which will be streamed on the YouTube channel of Nasa JPL’s Education Office.