Ingenuity helicopter
Main article:
Mars Helicopter Ingenuity
Ingenuity is a robotic helicopter that will test the technology to scout interesting targets for study on
Mars, and help plan the best driving route for
Perseverance. The aircraft will be deployed from the rover's deck, and is expected to fly up to five times during its 30-day test campaign early in the mission. Each flight will take no more than three minutes, at altitudes ranging from 3 m to 10 m above the ground, but it could potentially cover a maximum distance of about 600 m (2,000 ft) per flight. It will use autonomous control and communicate with
Perseverance directly after each landing. If it works as expected, NASA will be able to build on the design for future Mars missions.