Ingenuity has successfully taken off and re-landed on the surface of Mars.
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“We can now say that human beings have flown a rotorcraft on another planet,” says MiMi Aung, Ingenuity’s project manager.
The spacecraft – a drone-like probe which travelled to Mars alongside NASA’s Perseverance rover – rose just over 3m from the planet’s surface, hovered for around 30s before landing.
Artist’s impression of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter flying through Martian sky. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“First flight is all about being able to demonstrate that we can fly on another planet,” says mechanical engineer Taryn Bailey who helped develop Ingenuity, before the flight.