NASA Plans Three SkyFall Helicopters for Mars Exploration

NASA is developing SkyFall, a mission concept that would send three small helicopters to explore Mars. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory and AeroVironment will co-design and co-manufacture the rotorcraft, extending the partnership that helped create the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.

NASA describes each SkyFall aircraft as weighing about 11 pounds and carrying cameras, ground-penetrating radar, temperature sensors and a radiation monitor. The three-helicopter approach would allow the mission to examine several locations and continue gathering data if one aircraft could no longer fly. NASA currently lists a late-2028 launch, with deployment planned during the spacecraft’s later approach to Mars.

Flying on Mars is difficult because the atmosphere is extremely thin. A rotorcraft must move its blades rapidly and remain light enough to create lift while carrying its power supply, communications equipment and scientific instruments. Ingenuity proved that controlled powered flight was possible there; SkyFall is intended to turn that achievement into a practical science platform. Multiple aircraft would also let mission planners compare observations from separate landing areas rather than depend on a single flight path.

Why it matters

SkyFall would move planetary helicopters beyond a technology demonstration. Using several instrument-equipped aircraft could let scientists examine terrain and subsurface features that are difficult or impossible for a rover to reach, while also testing how a small aerial fleet can work across another planet.

Source: NASA SkyFall Mission