NASA showed the possible appearance of a new Martian helicopter

At the last meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in December 2024, Teddy Tzanetos from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) spoke about the beginning of work on a new Mars helicopter project. The first helicopter, Ingenuity, demonstrated the stunning reliability and flexibility of such an aircraft, becoming the first aircraft in history to fly into the skies beyond Earth.

Image source: NASA

The 1.8 kg Ingenuity helicopter arrived on Mars in February 2021 under the belly of the Perseverance rover and made 72 flights in the atmosphere of the Red Planet, while the scientific program required it to take to the skies of Mars only 5 times. The incredible survivability and ability to move relatively long distances in any direction made us think about creating a flying scientific laboratory like a copter. The rover is limited in mobility and will not be able to overcome complex terrain, while a helicopter can even climb into crevices – places where organic life could potentially hide on Mars.

The appearance of a future Martian helicopter weighing up to 40 kg or even more is still being formed. The working title of the project is Mars Chopper. What it might look like and how it will move in the atmosphere of Mars can be seen in an officially prepared NASA video. The helicopter will be multi-rotor and can carry up to 5 kg of scientific instruments. Every day he will cover up to 3 km. The Mars rover had never even dreamed of such dynamics. It is already obvious to everyone that Martian helicopters are the future. They will become faithful assistants to people and scouts of Mars, no matter what future awaits NASA and humanity.