One of NASA’s greatest successes of the 21st century thus far came in a very unexpected form: a four-pound helicopter called Ingenuity. Ingenuity created a new Wright Brothers moment when it flew the Martian skies in 2021, pioneering an entirely new way of exploring Mars and captivating the global public’s attention. Built and delivered to the launch pad in less than 18 months for a cost of less than 3% of the rover that it accompanied to Mars, Ingenuity punched above its weight class in every respect — and made a strong case that NASA should follow up with even more helicopter missions.
The Ingenuity mission was considered a technology demonstrator, intended only to prove something could fly in the barely-there atmosphere of Mars. After accomplishing that with its first flight, it also showed that even a helicopter with no dedicated science instrumentation could conduct meaningful science. Through 72 flights, Ingenuity was Perseverance’s trusty sidekick, leading directly to collections of intriguing rock samples and helping researchers understand the winds, the movement of sand, and the shaping of the landscape on Mars.
Ingenuity has earned awards and citations in scientific journals, but its greatest legacy lies in its role as a trailblazer for future aerial vehicles. It has definitively proven that controlled flight on Mars is not just possible — it’s a game-changer. Thanks to the invaluable data gathered from Ingenuity’s flights, the next generation of Mars helicopters will be even more capable. Future vehicles will carry scientific payloads, cover greater distances, reach previously inaccessible locations and fly with unmatched precision, enabling groundbreaking science missions.
Low-cost vehicles that make heavy use of Ingenuity legacy hardware could carry more than two pounds of dedicated scientific instrumentation on daily flights of nearly a mile each. They can operate alone, collaboratively in pairs or swarms, or partnership with rovers or landers. And since they can access terrain that no rover or lander could navigate, helicopters may well give us our first close-up views into some of the most interesting and challenging places on Mars — like glacial crevasses, vertical cliff faces or skylight openings into hollow lava tubes.
The scientific potential of Ingenuity’s successors seems limitless. Last summer, researchers held two workshops dedicated to the discussion of aerial science on Mars. The “Rise of the Drones” workshop, led by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) researcher Serina Diniega, spurred an open discussion between scientists, engineers, mission planners, and instrument developers about what new planetary science is enabled with already-existing drone technologies and applications, yielding plentiful ideas for how to carry those terrestrial technologies to Mars. A second workshop focused on a JPL concept in early development to use a more complex flying vehicle to survey the length of Valles Marineris, the grandest canyon in our solar system. With each passing scientific conference, ideas and concepts for flying vehicles on Mars keep adding up.
Of course, researchers in the United States aren’t the only ones who see the incredible potential of Mars helicopters. Less than five months after Ingenuity’s first flight, China revealed a prototype of a “Mars surface cruise drone” nearly identical to Ingenuity. In the years since, Chinese researchers have also begun talking about larger, more capable flying vehicles for Mars. More recently, India announced plans to fly a helicopter mission called the Martian Boundary Layer Explorer, MarBLE.
Unfortunately, while Mars helicopter plans charge forward in China and India, the next American vehicles have been put on ice. Last year, NASA shelved plans for a set of twin helicopters planned to fly as part of the now-scrapped Mars Sample Return architecture. Although work towards the Sample Recovery Helicopters was running on schedule and budget, that effort now appears to have been abandoned.
A new era is dawning at NASA, with a strong focus on Mars exploration. In recent years, U.S. leaders have emphasized the nation’s commitment to deep space exploration, including crewed missions to the Red Planet. Elon Musk has proposed launching multiple SpaceX Starship vehicles to Mars in the late 2020s, aligning with NASA’s goals for rapid and cost-effective exploration. As Administrator-nominee Jared Isaacman seeks innovative solutions for Mars, Ingenuity has already demonstrated a successful approach.
As NASA begins seeking concepts that could be readied for launch in 2028 or even 2026, the rapid development of Ingenuity is notable for being one of the few projects completed within such a short time. What could be a more valuable and exciting payload for those early Starship missions than helicopters — low-cost, high-capability systems that could fit in Starship by the dozens, fly directly out of its payload bay, and truly inspire the world? Looking further into the future, when astronauts eventually arrive to plant flags on Mars, it may well be a helicopter’s-eye view that captures that historic moment.
Thirty years ago, it seemed almost impossible that Mars could be explored by a mobile vehicle; after all, three-quarters of the simpler static landers had failed their missions. Then, 1997 brought the success of Sojourner, and suddenly every mission could rove along the surface of the red planet. Now, Ingenuity has marked another evolutionary leap in the way we explore new worlds. As NASA shifts its focus to Mars and to faster missions rather than decade-long flagships, what we learned from Ingenuity may be more valuable than even its biggest fans ever dreamed.
Will Pomerantz is the head of Space Ventures at AeroVironment. He holds a degree in Earth and Planetary Science from Harvard University. He previously served as an executive at XPRIZE Foundation, Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit.
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