NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter will keep flying on Mars through at least September

It has been a busy year on Mars for NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, and it is not about to stop now. NASA has extended its mission through at least September because the aircraft is still in excellent condition after 21 flights.

Ingenuity arrived on the Red Planet with NASA's Perseverance rover. The original mission was to demonstrate the ability to fly a helicopter on Mars. NASA shifted Ingenuity into an operational mode after three successful flights and the first powered flight on another planet. Since then, the helicopter has performed 16 flights further testing its capabilities while helping Perseverance navigate Jezero Crater, but now it's onto a new mission: to explore the Jezero river delta.

Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity team lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said that the Jezero river delta campaign will be the biggest challenge since first flight at Mars.

The region is dangerous for both Ingenuity and Perseverance, as it is filled with jagged cliffs and sand-filled pockets that could stop a rover in its tracks. Ingenuity will have a greater chance to demonstrate its scouting skills. Perseverance's upcoming route will be affected by the helicopter's observations as it searches for evidence of life on Mars. The design of the next generation of Mars vehicles will be influenced by the data from Ingenuity's flights.

We didn't know if powered, controlled flight of an aircraft at Mars was possible a year ago.

NASA makes history by flying a helicopter on Mars for the first time

Ingenuity is currently one leg into at least a three-part series of flights that will take the aircraft from its original flight area across a region known as the Séítah, after which it will start exploring the Jezero river. Its next flight can happen at any time.

The upcoming flight will be the 22nd entry in the Ingenuity chief pilot's logbook. I'm going to need a second book at the rate we're going.

Maybe NASA shouldn't be so surprised. The life spans of the agency's Mars rovers have vastly exceeded their original missions, so it's only fair that Ingenuity follows suit.