This thing does indeed look familiar.
Copy Cat
This one has never been seen before.
China's National Space Science Center (CNNSC), has displayed a prototype of a Mars cruise drone. It looks very familiar.
The science center shared an image of a small rotorcraft and two large blades on a table. This is a photo that SpaceNews reporter Andrew Jones tweeted.
Jones joked that it was the opposite of Ingenuity. More Familiarity than Ingenuity but more the merrier.
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After all, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
Mars Scanning
CNNSC announced that the drone will have a spectrometer so it can presumably scan the Martian landscape.
The statement lacks details beyond that. Futurism reached out to CNNSC for more information.
China has ambitious plans to explore the Red Planet. China announced earlier this year that it plans to send its first crewed mission on Mars in 2033.
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This is not all hype. The country was able to land a rover successfully on the planet in May, an amazing feat.
NASA spent many years perfecting the Ingenuity helicopter design, reproducing Mars' harsh gravity and conditions back on Earth.
The four-pound, small rotorcraft has exceeded all expectations. The aircraft has been flown 12 times since mid-April, when it made its first voyage.
It's no surprise that China is interested in the same fun as Mars exploration from the air.
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