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The US space agency’s statement comes after an unexpected interruption, raising concerns that the hard-working spacecraft could meet its end.
“Good news today: We have re-established contact with #MarsHelicopter after instructing @NASAPersevere to conduct a long-duration listening session for Ingenuity’s signals. The team is reviewing new data to better understand the unexpected comms dropout during Flight 72, NASA JPL said in a post on Xpress.
As reported AFPIngenuity, a drone about 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) long, landed on Mars in 2021 with the rover Perseverance, marking the first autonomous flight by a motorized craft on another planet.
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While data from the helicopter is transmitted to Earth via Perseverance, communications were unexpectedly lost during Ingenuity’s 72nd lift-off to Mars during a test flight on Thursday.
NASA reported that during Flight 72, Ingenuity achieved an altitude of 40 feet (12 m), which was “a quick pop-up to check the helicopter’s systems, following an unplanned initial landing during its previous flight.” Up was vertical flight.”
But during its descent, “communications between the helicopter and the rover ceased before landing,” the agency said.
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On Friday, JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) noted that Perseverance was temporarily “out of line of sight with Ingenuity, but the team may consider moving closer for visual inspection.”
AFP noted that NASA has experienced previous incidents of helicopter contact loss, including a challenging two-month period last year.
The miniature rotorcraft, weighing only four pounds (1.8 kilograms), has exceeded its initial objective of conducting five flights to Mars in 30 days.
In total, it has traveled a little more than 10 miles (17 kilometers) and gained up to 79 feet (24 meters) in height.
The helicopter’s remarkable endurance is noteworthy, especially given its need to endure extremely cold Martian nights. It remains heated through solar panels that recharge its batteries during daylight hours.
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