NASA’s proposed Mars “Chopper” is ingenuity on steroids

Almost a year after Ingenuity broke a blade and ended its experimentation on Mars, NASA has unveiled a new design concept for the successor of the Martian helicopter and it is comparatively a big boy.

NASA’s Mars Chopper, as it’s called, is about the same size as an SUV, equipped with six rotors, with each rotor housing six blades (I’ve already done the math for you, that’s a whopping 36 blades ). The space agency recently revealed a rendering of the helicopter, which is still in its early design and development stages, according to NASA. Chopper project manager Teddy Tzanetos also presented the concept during a briefing at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington on December 11.

Ingenuity was the first helicopter to fly on another planet, paving the way for more capable choppers to follow in its path. Its low cost design and durability help NASA design future concepts to explore other planets in a completely new way.

NASA also shared an exciting 30-second animation depicting the rotorcraft flying over the Martian terrain during a potential future mission. The Mars Chopper could transport scientific loads weighing up to 11 pounds (5 kilos) on distances of 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) per Martian day, or the sun. “Scientists will be able to use Chopper to study large swaths of terrain in detail, quickly — including areas where rovers cannot safely travel,” NASA explained.

Ingenuity walked so Chopper could run. The OG Martian helicopter arrived on the Red Planet in February 2021, inserted into the belly of the Perseverance rover. Shortly thereafter, the 19-inch (48-centimeter), 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) helicopter became the first powered aircraft to turn up from the surface of another planet. Although initially intended to perform only five test flights, Ingenuity continued, performing 72 flights, and flying 14 times farther than expected for a total flight time of two hours.

Things fell apart for Ingenuity earlier this year the helicopter broke its blades as it lands for the 72nd time, it will officially end its mission in January. NASA recently concluded that in-flight navigation errors caused “high horizontal speed at touchdown”.

Ingenuity achieved its goal of providing information to NASA that would help it develop similar aircraft to explore Mars, and other planets, from above. During its test mission, Ingenuity also assisted the Perseverance rover in exploring the Red Planet, aboard the Martian robot and guided its way through the dusty Martian terrain. Even after the crash, Ingenuity still provides weather and avionics data to Perseverance every week.

The future Mars Chopper has some big shoes to fill, Ingenuity has left a legendary legacy on the Red Planet.