NASA has lost contact with the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, according to an update published on Friday (19), after what would have been the 72nd successful flight on the planet.
According to NASA, the quick vertical flight on Thursday (18) was carried out “solely to check the helicopter's systems, following an unplanned landing during the previous flight”.
The Perseverance rover, which acts as a data transmitter between the helicopter and Earth, showed that Ingenuity climbed to its maximum altitude of approximately 12 meters. However, during the planned descent, the rover lost contact with the helicopter before landing.
“The Ingenuity team is analyzing available data and considering next steps to reestablish communications with the helicopter,” the agency statement said.
This was the 72nd flight of the Mars helicopter, which took to the skies of the red planet for the first time on April 19, 2021, successfully flying through its thin atmosphere.
Ingenuity was the first aircraft to take powered, controlled flight on another planet, and has already far exceeded the originally planned technology demonstration of up to five flights.
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Source: CNN Brasil
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