NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter goes silent after 72nd flight

Ingenuity and Perseverance arrived on Mars together in February 2021, landing in the ancient Jezero Crater, which once hosted a lake and a river delta. While Perseverance is searching for signs of ancient life and collecting rock samples for future return to Earth, Ingenuity is scouting the terrain and testing the feasibility of aerial exploration on Mars.

Ingenuity has exceeded all expectations, completing its original five-flight demonstration in the spring of 2021 and continuing to fly on an extended mission. It has flown for over 128 minutes and covered 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) on Mars, setting new records for interplanetary aviation.

However, its fate is now uncertain as NASA engineers try to reconnect with the trailblazing chopper. It is possible that Perseverance, which is currently out of sight of Ingenuity, could drive closer to the helicopter and attempt a visual inspection.

Ingenuity’s 72nd flight may or may not be its last, but it has already made history as the first vehicle to soar in the alien skies of another world.

However, this is not the first time; in April 2023, the Ingenuity team lost contact with the helicopter during its 52nd flight as it descended towards the Jezero Crater to land. However, the team later received confirmation from mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that the flight was successful. According to Josh Anderson, the Ingenuity team lead at JPL, the area of Jezero Crater that the rover and helicopter were exploring had rough terrain, which increased the likelihood of communication dropouts.