Three helicopters, four instruments each, and a launch target in late 2028. That is the outline of NASA’s SkyFall project for Mars.
An artist’s concept shows NASA’s three SkyFall Mars helicopters flying over the surface of the Red Planet and collecting data. Green frequency waves from the helicopters’ large antennas represent subsurface radar data collection. Red beams represent collection of near-infrared imagery data from regolith, crushed rock and dust, and other surface features.
The three helicopters are equipped with four instruments each. NASA says they will follow in the footsteps of the agency’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, a technology demonstrator that flew 72 times over nearly three years.
Ingenuity proved that powered, controlled flight is possible in the rarefied Martian atmosphere. It also showed how an aerial perspective can generate valuable data by helping NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover team plan time-saving routes and choose locations for science-gathering.
SkyFall is expected to launch aboard NASA’s Space Reactor-1 Freedom in late 2028. The project will carry three Mars helicopters to the Red Planet in December 2028.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the SkyFall project. AeroVironment of Arlington, Virginia, which worked with JPL to design and build the history-making Ingenuity rotorcraft, will co-design and co-manufacture the SkyFall helicopters.
Managed by Caltech for NASA, JPL manages the overall Mars Exploration Program on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
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