NASA postpones first helicopter flight on Mars due to pre-flight test problem

NASA postpones the first helicopter flight on Mars: The Ingenuity helicopter refused to go from pre-flight to flight mode in a rotor test. Why is not yet known. The flight must now take place no later than April 14.

NASA states in a short update that during the high-speed rotor spin test on Friday, a timeout occurred when the transition from pre-flight mode to flight mode was due. While it’s not yet known why that happened, the helicopter has been able to send its full telemetry data to Earth, so the problem is expected to be resolved. NASA is not disclosing more information.

Ingenuity has to operate a number of independent flights. The thin air makes that a challenge on the red planet. As a result, the twin rotors have to rotate much faster than is necessary on Earth to remain levitated. Ingenuity weighs 1.8kg and has a wingspan of 1.2m.

The helicopter Ingenuity has hitched a ride with Mars rover Perseverance; the latter also serves as a base station for the helicopter. The data that Ingenuity collects is first sent to Perseverance and then it is sent to Earth. The two are on a mission to track down any signs of life and collect samples for a potential return to Earth. The rover has been on the planet since February 18.