NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter marked its final flight on Mars last year, but its success paved the way for the development of a new aerial exploration mission: the Mars Chopper. The successor to Ingenuity is expected to be bigger and more capable, with the ability to carry up to 11 pounds of scientific instruments.
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Mars Chopper would scale up everything about Ingenuity, measuring around the size of an SUV. Unlike its predecessor, which was tethered to the Perseverance rover for communication, the Chopper would be capable of solo exploration.
The project aims to utilize the Chopper’s capabilities to access areas that rovers cannot reach. NASA estimates that the vehicle could travel up to 1.9 miles per day, making it a valuable asset for scientific research on Mars.
While the Mars Chopper is still in its conceptual stage, JPL emphasizes collaboration with other institutions and acknowledges potential delays due to NASA’s reorganization efforts following the recent Mars sample return mission issues. However, NASA’s commitment to sending more flying robots to Mars is unwavering.
Source: https://www.extremetech.com/science/jpl-offers-sneak-peek-at-ingenuity-helicopters-possible-successor