American Scientist

A delicate helicopter named Ingenuity is currently headed to Mars, sharing a ride with NASA’s $2.5 billion Perseverance rover. A few weeks after touchdown (set for February 18, 2021), Ingenuity will attempt the first-ever powered flight on another world. Initially, it will rise just a meter or two off the ground, hover for 20 to 30 seconds, and land. Controllers will then attempt at least four more, incrementally farther and higher flights. NASA engineers regard these forays as akin to the Wright Brothers’ first, tentative test run at Kitty Hawk. If Ingenuity succeeds, future Mars missions could include larger, more complex helicopters to scout difficult terrain or to coordinate with human explorers.

Delivered by Perseverance

While in space, Ingenuity is attached to Perseverance’s belly and covered by a debris shield to protect it during descent and landing. Once the rover reaches a suitably flat, unobstructed spot on Mars, mission engineers will instruct it to drop the shield. A combination of springs, motors, and pyrotechnic cable-cutters will then gently lower Ingenuity onto the surface.

Ingenuity specs

• Height: 0.49 meters
• Rotor system span: 1.2 meters
• Weight (on Earth): 1.8 kilograms
• Maximum altitude: 3 to 5 meters
• Maximum distance: 300 meters
• Flight duration: 90 seconds


• An antenna allows communication with a dedicated transceiver aboard Perseverance. Ingenuity stay in contact at distances of up to 300 meters.
• The solar panel can fully recharge the onboard battery over one Mars day (24 hours 40 minutes).
• Four carbon-fiber blades, arranged in two rotors, spin in opposite directions at 2,400 rotations per minute. Such high speeds are necessary to generate lift in the thin Martian atmosphere, which is 1 percent as dense as that of Earth.
• The payload body carries Ingenuity’s guidance system, sensors, and cameras, along with a protective heater: Nighttime temperatures can drop to -90 degrees.
• Lightweight construction, including carbon-fiber legs, reduces Ingenuity’s power requirements. On Mars, the helicopter weighs just 0.7 kilograms.
• Six lithium-ion batteries store enough power for one 90-second flight, which draws 350 watts.

A Pioneer of Off-World Flying

Ingenuity is the first interplanetary flyer, but it won’t be the last. NASA has already begun work on Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered octocopter (eight rotors) designed to explore the complex organic chemistry and dynamic environment of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Launching in 2026, Dragonfly will visit dozens of sites, logging more than 175 kilometers of flight. Other potential interplanetary aircraft could visit steep canyons on Mars or soar above the clouds of Venus.

Infographic by Gary Schroeder.