Contact regained with Mars Ingenuity helicopter after sudden cut
Nasa has regained contact with its Ingenuity mini-helicopter on Mars after an unexpected communication breakdown raised fears the research craft had been damaged or destroyed.
The US space agency’s drone reached Mars in 2021 aboard the Perseverance rover.
The 50cm drone is the first motorised craft to fly autonomously on another planet and has been transmitting data back to Earth through Perseverance.
Contact with Ingenuity cut out suddenly on Thursday during its 72nd flight on Mars.
But Nasa said it was re-established late on Saturday. “Good news today,” Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrote on social media.
The agency said contact was made with the helicopter by instructing Perseverance to “perform long-duration listening sessions for Ingenuity’s signal”.
“The team is reviewing the new data to better understand the unexpected comms dropout during Flight 72,” it added.
Ingenuity’s Flight 72 was aimed at testing the craft’s systems after an unplanned landing during a previous flight.
Nasa said the drone reached an altitude of 12 metres but faced problems on descent.
“Communications between the helicopter and rover terminated early, prior to touchdown,” the agency said.
On Friday, the JPL said Perseverance was temporarily “out of line-of-sight with Ingenuity, but the team could consider driving closer for a visual inspection”. On Saturday, responding to a social media post asking if Ingenuity would be able to fly again, the JPL said: “The team needs to assess the new data before that can be determined.” Nasa has lost contact with the helicopter before, including for two months last year.
Mars is known to be a “graveyard for spacecraft” because of its powerful dust storms and unstable terrain, which can damage rovers and other technology.
Despite the harsh conditions, Ingenuity has proved durable. It has survived glacially cold nights, kept warm by the solar panels that recharge its batteries during daylight hours.
Ingenuity has far exceeded its goal of making five successful flights over 30 days, with 72 flights since arriving in 2021.
The mini craft, which weighs 1.8kg, has covered more than 17km and reached altitudes of up to 24 metres.