NASA's Communication with Mars Helicopter Ingenuity is Lost

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has become unresponsive.

The team overseeing Ingenuity lost contact with the small 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) helicopter on Thursday (Jan. 18) towards the end of its 72nd flight on Mars.

In an update on Friday (Jan. 19), NASA officials mentioned, "Data sent by Ingenuity to the Perseverance rover (which acts as a relay between the helicopter and Earth) during the flight shows it successfully reached its assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet (12 meters)." They added, "During its planned descent, communication between the helicopter and rover ended prematurely, before touchdown. The Ingenuity team is reviewing the available data and considering the next steps to reestablish communication with the helicopter."

Both Ingenuity and Perseverance landed together in February 2021 within the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater, which once contained a large lake and a river delta billions of years ago.

Perseverance is on a mission to search for signs of past life on Mars and collect samples for future return to Earth. Ingenuity, initially designated for a five-flight technology-demonstrating campaign in the spring of 2021, was granted an extended mission to serve as a scout for the car-sized rover.

Now, it seems Perseverance might have an opportunity to assist its smaller robotic companion.

"Perseverance is currently not in direct view of Ingenuity, but the team is considering driving closer for a visual inspection," said NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages both missions, on Friday.

Ingenuity has spent more than 128 minutes in the air, covering a total distance of 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) during its 72 flights on Mars, according to the mission's flight log.

The future of these numbers remains uncertain at this point. We will have to wait and see if Ingenuity's handlers can re-establish contact with this groundbreaking helicopter, which holds the distinction of being the first vehicle to explore the skies of a world beyond Earth.

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