https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/after-three-years-on-mars-nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-mission-ends/ NASA Logo * Explore Search [ ] NASA Logo * News & Events News & Events + All NASA News + Video Series on NASA+ + Podcasts + Blogs + Newsletters + Social Media + Media Resources + Upcoming Launches & Landings + Virtual Events * Multimedia Multimedia + NASA+ + Images + NASA TV + Sounds and Ringtones + Interactives + NASA Apps + Podcasts + e-Books + STEM Multimedia * NASA+ Search [ ] Suggested Searches * Climate Change * Artemis * Expedition 64 * Mars perseverance * SpaceX Crew-2 * International Space Station * View All Topics A-Z * Home * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth & Climate * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * Espanol ----------------------------------------------------------------- * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ Featured NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission is the first satellite dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays from a variety of cosmic sources, such as black holes and neutron stars. 3 min read NASA's IXPE Awarded Prestigious Prize in High-energy Astronomy article2 days ago New U.S. Postal Service Stamps Feature Iconic NASA Webb Images 4 min read New U.S. Postal Service Stamps Feature Iconic NASA Webb Images article3 days ago Hubble Observes an Askew Galaxy Coaxing Star Formation from its Partner 2 min read Hubble Observes an Askew Galaxy Coaxing Star Formation from its Partner article3 days ago Back --------------------------------------------------------------------- Missions * Search All NASA Missions * A to Z List of Missions * Upcoming Launches and Landings * Spaceships and Rockets * Communicating with Missions * Artemis * James Webb Space Telescope * Hubble Space Telescope * International Space Station Humans in Space * Why Go to Space * Astronauts * Commercial Space * Destinations * Spaceships and Rockets * Living in Space Earth & Climate * Explore Earth Science * Climate Change * Earth, Our Planet * Earth Science in Action * Earth Multimedia * Earth Data * Earth Science Researchers The Solar System * The Sun * Mercury * Venus * Earth * The Moon * Mars * Jupiter * Saturn * Uranus * Pluto & Dwarf Planets * Asteroids, Comets & Meteors * The Kuiper Belt * The Oort Cloud * Skywatching The Universe * Exoplanets * The Search for Life in the Universe * Stars * Galaxies * Black Holes * The Big Bang * Dark Energy & Dark Matter Science * Earth Science * Planetary Science * Astrophysics & Space Science * The Sun & Heliophysics * Biological & Physical Sciences * Lunar Science * Citizen Science * Astromaterials * Aeronautics Research * Human Space Travel Research Aeronautics * Science in the Air * NASA Aircraft * Flight Innovation * Supersonic Flight * Air Traffic Solutions * Green Aviation Tech * Drones & You Technology * Technology Transfer & Spinoffs * Space Travel Technology * Technology Living in Space * Manufacturing and Materials * Robotics * Science Instruments * Computing Learning Resources * For Kids and Students * For Educators * For Colleges and Universities * For Professionals * Science for Everyone * Requests for Exhibits, Artifacts, or Speakers * STEM Engagement at NASA About NASA * NASA's Impacts * Centers and Facilities * Directorates * Organizations * People of NASA * Careers * Internships * Our History * Doing Business with NASA * Get Involved * Contact Espanol * Ciencia * Aeronautica * Ciencias Terrestres * Sistema Solar * Universo News & Events * All NASA News * Video Series on NASA+ * Podcasts * Blogs * Newsletters * Social Media * Media Resources * Upcoming Launches & Landings * Virtual Events Multimedia * NASA+ * Images * NASA TV * Sounds and Ringtones * Interactives * NASA Apps * Podcasts * e-Books * STEM Multimedia Highlights Hubble Captures a Faint Bridge of Stars 2 min read Hubble Captures a Faint Bridge of Stars article 4 hours ago On a cold, cloudy day over Long Island Sound, NASA pilots along with Sikorsky safety pilots are on board Sikorsky's olive green, Black Hawk OPV helicopter and SARA S-76B bright blue and white helicopter. The two experimental aircraft cut through gray, cloudy, skies testing multiple NASA navigation software systems in Sikorsky's autonomous helicopters. 4 min read NASA Autonomous Flight Software Successfully Used in Air Taxi Stand-Ins article 5 hours ago NASA's Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet's Atmosphere 6 min read NASA's Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet's Atmosphere article 7 hours ago Highlights A white robot about the size of a hand with two large fingers that end in metal probes faces a metal three-part panel with rubber bands stretched across it, which the robot is cutting. A lab worker and computer screens are blurred in the background. 6 min read Science Launches to Space Station on NASA's 20th Northrop Grumman Mission article 1 week ago [acd24-0002-004-crop] 1 min read NASA Astronaut, Congresswoman Discuss STEM Careers with Students article 2 weeks ago NASA astronauts (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara, both Expedition 70 Flight Engineers, partner together removing and replacing components inside the Cold Atom Lab aboard the International Space Station. The space physics device enables observations of atoms chilled to temperatures near absolute zero allowing scientists to study fundamental behaviors and quantum characteristics not possible on Earth. 7 min read Logros de la NASA en la estacion espacial en 2023 article 2 weeks ago Highlights Map of possible moonquakes at lunar south pole. 4 min read Shrinking Moon Causing Moonquakes and Faults Near Lunar South Pole article 8 hours ago Daily Moon Guide 1 min read Daily Moon Guide article 1 week ago A Landsat 8 image from Sept. 4, 2022, shows Jakobshavn Isbrae breaking at its edge. A recent study found that from 1985 to 2022 the Greenland Ice Sheet shed about 1,140 billion tons (1,034 billion metric tons) - one-fifth more mass than previously estimated. 5 min read NASA Study: More Greenland Ice Lost Than Previously Estimated article 1 week ago Highlights This map shows the location where the small asteroid 2024 BX1 harmlessly impacted Earth's atmosphere 4 min read NASA System Predicts Impact of a Very Small Asteroid Over Germany article 1 day ago This self-portrait of NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity comes courtesy of the Sun and the rover front hazard-avoidance camera. The dramatic snapshot of Opportunity shadow was taken as the rover continues to move farther into Endurance Crater 5 min read 20 Years After Landing: How NASA's Twin Rovers Changed Mars Science article 1 week ago Michael Thorpe, a man with dark hair, poses with a tube of sediment collected from a nearby body of water. He wears a gray sweatshirt underneath dark green waders, or waterproof overalls, and kneels next to a brown lake with clumpy dirt banks in the foreground and background. Two more scientists in waders stand next to a small, flat white boat. The sky is bright blue and mostly covered with puffy clouds. 7 min read Michael Thorpe Studies Sediment from Source to Sink article 1 week ago Featured Hubble Captures a Faint Bridge of Stars 2 min read Hubble Captures a Faint Bridge of Stars article 4 hours ago NASA's Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet's Atmosphere 6 min read NASA's Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet's Atmosphere article 7 hours ago NASA Collaborating on European-led Gravitational Wave Observatory in Space 5 min read NASA Collaborating on European-led Gravitational Wave Observatory in Space article 8 hours ago Highlights Amendment 78: F.13 Lunar Terrain Vehicle Instruments Program deferred to ROSES-24 2 min read Amendment 78: F.13 Lunar Terrain Vehicle Instruments Program deferred to ROSES-24 article 25 mins ago Hubble Captures a Faint Bridge of Stars 2 min read Hubble Captures a Faint Bridge of Stars article 4 hours ago NASA's Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet's Atmosphere 6 min read NASA's Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet's Atmosphere article 7 hours ago Highlights On a cold, cloudy day over Long Island Sound, NASA pilots along with Sikorsky safety pilots are on board Sikorsky's olive green, Black Hawk OPV helicopter and SARA S-76B bright blue and white helicopter. The two experimental aircraft cut through gray, cloudy, skies testing multiple NASA navigation software systems in Sikorsky's autonomous helicopters. 4 min read NASA Autonomous Flight Software Successfully Used in Air Taxi Stand-Ins article 5 hours ago Members of an audience lift their phones to snap a photo of the recently revealed X-59 aircraft. The plane's long, sharp nose appears to jut out towards the audience. 1 min read Special Report: X-59 Makes its Public Debut article 1 week ago Artist's concept of the X-59 5 min read NASA's X-59 Rollout Embodies Aeronautical Tradition article 2 weeks ago Highlights Amendment 78: F.13 Lunar Terrain Vehicle Instruments Program deferred to ROSES-24 2 min read Amendment 78: F.13 Lunar Terrain Vehicle Instruments Program deferred to ROSES-24 article 25 mins ago Near-Earth communications system in front of a dark teal space scene filled with glowing stars. The top half of planet Earth is shown in dark green, placed on the bottom half of the image. Four green spacecraft are shown circling the Earth, three are commercial satellites and one is a NASA owned satellite. Many glowing green dots are spread out across the Earth's surface, and glowing green lines connect the dots to the spacecraft, representing invisible communications signals. 1 min read Wideband Technology article 1 week ago Professor with students at Oakwood University 4 min read NASA Invests in Small Business Tech to Advance Alternative Fuels, More article 1 week ago Featured The team from University High School in Irvine, California 2 min read University High Wins L.A. Ocean Sciences Bowl at NASA's JPL article 3 days ago [hsp-support-at-ksc] 4 min read Career Journey: Cooking Up a Job as a Space Food Scientist article 1 week ago [acd24-0002-004-crop] 1 min read NASA Astronaut, Congresswoman Discuss STEM Careers with Students article 2 weeks ago Highlights NACA plot model overhead view in black and white. 3 min read NASA Glenn Established in Cleveland in 1941 article 2 days ago The team from University High School in Irvine, California 2 min read University High Wins L.A. Ocean Sciences Bowl at NASA's JPL article 3 days ago [image-d7697c] 3 min read NASA Goddard Experts to Take Part in February STEM Conference article 6 days ago Featured NASA astronaut Frank Rubio uses a tool in his right hand as he activates a space biology experiment that is studying how weightlessness affects genetic expression in microbes. 5 min read Ciencia destacada del ano en el espacio del astronauta Frank Rubio article 4 months ago Frank Rubio, un hombre de pelo y ojos oscuros y con lentes, sonrAe y tiene los brazos cruzados. Va vestido con un polo oscuro y pantalones khaki. DetrA!s suyo se ve la atmA3sfera de la Tierra a travA(c)s de las ventanas de observaciA3n de la cAopula. 5 min read Mision record de astronauta ayuda a planificar viajes al espacio profundo article 4 months ago monnikin 4 min read Pruebas de la NASA con maniqui de Artemis I aportan informacion para futuras misiones tripuladas article 6 months ago 5 min read After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends The headshot image of Abbey A. Donaldson Abbey A. Donaldson Jan 25, 2024 MEDIA ADVISORY24-017 NASA Headquarters * * * * NASA's history-making Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission at the Red Planet after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than planned. While the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers, imagery of its Jan. 18 flight sent to Earth this week indicates one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing, and it is no longer capable of flight. Originally designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, the first aircraft on another world operated from the Martian surface for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 14 times farther than planned while logging more than two hours of total flight time. "The historic journey of Ingenuity, the first aircraft on another planet, has come to end," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best - make the impossible, possible. Through missions like Ingenuity, NASA is paving the way for future flight in our solar system and smarter, safer human exploration to Mars and beyond." NASA to Discuss Ingenuity Mission in Media Call Today In addition to video comments shared from Nelson about the mission's conclusion, NASA will host a media teleconference at 5 p.m. EST today, Thursday, Jan. 25, to provide an update on Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Audio of the call will stream live on the agency's website. Participants in the call are expected to include: * Lori Glaze, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington * Laurie Leshin, director, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California * Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity project manager, NASA JPL Media who wish to participate by phone can request dial-in information by emailing hq-media@mail.nasa.gov. Ingenuity landed on Mars Feb. 18, 2021, attached to the belly of NASA's Perseverance rover and first lifted off the Martian surface on April 19, proving that powered, controlled flight on Mars was possible. After notching another four flights, it embarked on a new mission as an operations demonstration, serving as an aerial scout for Perseverance scientists and rover drivers. In 2023, the helicopter executed two successful flight tests that further expanded the team's knowledge of its aerodynamic limits. "At NASA JPL, innovation is at the heart of what we do," said Leshin. "Ingenuity is an exemplar of the way we push the boundaries of what's possible every day. I'm incredibly proud of our team behind this historic technological achievement and eager to see what they'll invent next." Ingenuity's team planned for the helicopter to make a short vertical flight on Jan. 18 to determine its location after executing an emergency landing on its previous flight. Data shows that, as planned, the helicopter achieved a maximum altitude of 40 feet (12 meters) and hovered for 4.5 seconds before starting its descent at a velocity of 3.3 feet per second (1 meter per second). However, about 3 feet (1 meter) above the surface, Ingenuity lost contact with the rover, which serves as a communications relay for the rotorcraft. The following day, communications were reestablished and more information about the flight was relayed to ground controllers at NASA JPL. Imagery revealing damage to the rotor blade arrived several days later. The cause of the communications dropout and the helicopter's orientation at time of touchdown are still being investigated. [1-pia25968-fig-a] This enhanced color view of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was generated using data collected by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard the agency's Perseverance Mars rover on Aug. 2, 2023, the 871st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The image was taken a day before the rotorcraft's 54th flight. [e1-pia26243-ingenuity-spots-the-shadow-of-its-damaged-rotor-blade] After its 72nd flight on Jan. 18, 2024, NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter captured this color image showing the shadow of one of its rotor blades, which was damaged during touchdown. NASA/JPL-Caltech Triumphs, Challenges Over an extended mission that lasted for almost 1,000 Martian days, more than 33 times longer than originally planned, Ingenuity was upgraded with the ability to autonomously choose landing sites in treacherous terrain, dealt with a dead sensor, cleaned itself after dust storms, operated from 48 different airfields, performed three emergency landings, and survived a frigid Martian winter. Designed to operate in spring, Ingenuity was unable to power its heaters throughout the night during the coldest parts of winter, resulting in the flight computer periodically freezing and resetting. These power "brownouts" required the team to redesign Ingenuity's winter operations in order to keep flying. With flight operations now concluded, the Ingenuity team will perform final tests on helicopter systems and download the remaining imagery and data in Ingenuity's onboard memory. The Perseverance rover is currently too far away to attempt to image the helicopter at its final airfield. "It's humbling Ingenuity not only carries onboard a swatch from the original Wright Flyer, but also this helicopter followed in its footsteps and proved flight is possible on another world," said Ingenuity's project manager, Teddy Tzanetos of NASA JPL. "The Mars helicopter would have never flown once, much less 72 times, if it were not for the passion and dedication of the Ingenuity and Perseverance teams. History's first Mars helicopter will leave behind an indelible mark on the future of space exploration and will inspire fleets of aircraft on Mars - and other worlds - for decades to come." More About Ingenuity The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by NASA JPL, which also manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars helicopter. For more information about Ingenuity: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter -end- Alise Fisher / Alana Johnson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-2546 / 202-358-1501 alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 agle@jpl.nasa.gov Share * * * * Details Last Updated Jan 25, 2024 Location NASA Headquarters Related Terms * Ingenuity (Helicopter) * Missions NASA Logo The National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. * About NASA's Mission Join Us * Home * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth & Climate * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * NASA en Espanol Follow NASA * * * * * * More NASA Social Accounts * NASA Newsletters * Sitemap * For Media * Privacy Policy * FOIA * No FEAR Act * Office of the IG * Budget & Annual Reports * Agency Financial Reports * Contact NASA * Accessibility * Page Last Updated: Jan 25, 2024 * Page Editor: Abbey A. Donaldson * Responsible NASA Official: Abigail Bowman