NASA wants helicopter drone to fly around Mars

NASA plans to fly a drone around Mars. This could triple the distances covered on explorations and make it easier to locate points of interest.

The drone, which can fly around autonomously and resembles a helicopter, is being worked on at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A prototype is now available. Ultimately, the so-called NASA Helicopter is intended to be included as an ‘add-on’ on future missions to Mars. So the drone is not intended to replace the usual Mars rovers.

According to NASA, the helicopter can triple the distances normally covered in a day with the space carts. In addition, from the air it is easier to search for interesting locations that deserve closer inspection. For example, locations can be marked to take soil samples. That task is then performed by the rover on the ground.

The developed prototype weighs one kilogram and has a wingspan of just over one metre. It is not yet known when the Mars drone will be deployed for the first time. That will depend on the planning of future Mars missions.