After the Ingenuity helicopter, which successfully completed 72 flights on Mars, NASA is planning to launch an even more advanced model to explore the Red Planet.
The Nighthawk, a helicopter the size of an SUV, would use six rotors, each with six blades, to propel itself through Mars’ thin atmosphere.
Details of NASA’s new Mars Chopper proposal were presented in two papers at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held March 10–14 in Woodlands, Texas, USA.
Unlike the Ingenuity, which required support from the Perseverance rover to operate, the Nighthawk would be capable of functioning autonomously while exploring more complex terrains on Mars, such as canyons, dunes, and lava flows.
The primary objectives of the Nighthawk include studying key areas of eastern Noctis Labyrinthus, a giant, deeply eroded, and glaciated volcano, in search of potential biomarkers and even suitability for future human exploration.
The Nighthawk would operate for at least 240 sols (Martian days) on the Red Planet, conducting 100 flights of up to 3.0 km each. However, it’s important to note that NASA has not indicated when the helicopter might enter the selection phase.
“The Nighthawk‘s scientific mission would not be possible with an Ingenuity-class helicopter but could be achieved with the larger and more capable NASA Mars Chopper currently under design,” the paper concluded.
“The expected flight range of the Mars Chopper, its altitude AGL (above ground level), and payload capacity would enable the Nighthawk to accomplish its vast range of scientific objectives.”
Photo and video: NASA/JPL-Caltech. This content was created with AI assistance and reviewed by the editorial team.
