Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Loses Contact with Perseverance Rover, NASA Reports

 Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has lost contact with the Perseverance rover, which serves as a relay between the helicopter and mission officials on Earth, according to NASA.

Ingenuity, which landed on the Red Planet in February 2021, initially had the task of completing five test flights to demonstrate its pioneering technology but surpassed expectations. On
January 18, during its 72nd flight, it executed a quick pop-up vertical flight to assess its systems after an unplanned early landing in the previous flight.

Although it successfully reached its assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet (12 meters), communication was lost before touchdown. The Perseverance rover, currently out of line-of-sight with Ingenuity, may drive closer for a visual inspection, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

While the helicopter team analyzes available data and considers next steps to re-establish communications, Ingenuity has accumulated over 128 minutes of flight time, covering a total of 17.7 km during its 72 flights on Mars.

Source: IANS

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