Mars Ingenuity helicopter's fourth flight doesn't get off ground... yet
The history-making Ingenuity was scheduled to take off again on Thursday, but it will have to wait and try again.
NASA's "high-risk, high-reward" Ingenuity helicopter was supposed to take to the Martian skies for the fourth time on Thursday to "push its performance envelope on Mars." This time, the chopper didn't get off the ground, but it wasn't a complete surprise.
"Aim high, and fly, fly again," NASA JPL tweeted in reporting the flight didn't take place as planned. The team followed up to say the helicopter is safe and healthy. "Data indicate the rotorcraft didn't transition to flight mode, which had been a possible outcome," NASA tweeted.
#MarsHelicopter is safe and healthy. Data indicate the rotorcraft didn’t transition to flight mode, which had been a possible outcome. We'll attempt the 4th flight again on April 30. First data expected the same day around 10:39a PT (1:39p ET/5:39p GMT). https://t.co/X3fdIbbHyM pic.twitter.com/UQCOD0csQk
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) April 29, 2021
Ingenuity is now scheduled to attempt the fourth flight on Friday, April 30, with data expected to reach Earth around 10:30 a.m. PT.
NASA JPL said in a statement on Wednesday that Ingenuity has already "has met or surpassed all of its technical objectives." It started earlier this month with the first powered, controlled flight on another planet and ramped up until its third flight set a new speed record for the pioneer.
The fourth flight was originally scheduled to take place at 7:12 a.m. PT on April 29, but it takes several hours for data to return to Earth. The Ingenuity team intended to extend the chopper's range, speed and flight duration.
The plan was to fly the helicopter to an altitude of 16 feet (5 meters), zip across the landscape to collect images of rocks, sand and small craters below, hover and then head back to its takeoff spot. The flight path was designed to take it 436 feet (133 meters) downrange. The whole flight was set to last 117 seconds. The do-over attempt will aim for the same goals.
Even if Ingenuity never takes flight again, the successful tests already completed could bring a new dimension to how humanity investigates other planets. Said NASA Planetary Science Division director Lori Glaze, "Future Mars exploration missions can now confidently consider the added capability an aerial exploration may bring to a science mission."
Follow CNET's 2021 Space Calendar to stay up to date with all the latest space news this year. You can even add it to your own Google Calendar .