Ingenuity was the first Mars helicopter to achieve powered flight.
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter made its historic first flight on April 19, 2021, at Jezero Crater. The brief flight demonstrated that a powered aircraft could take off, hover and land in Mars’s extremely thin atmosphere. Ingenuity was carried to Mars attached to NASA’s Perseverance rover.
The vehicle was designed as a technology demonstration rather than a primary science platform. Its first flight lasted 39.1 seconds and reached an altitude of about three metres. After that success, NASA extended the mission so Ingenuity could scout terrain and help guide Perseverance’s exploration.
Ingenuity ultimately completed 72 flights. NASA ended its mission in January 2024 after rotor damage prevented further flights. Its success influenced planning for future aerial Mars missions, including concepts involving larger rotorcraft that could carry scientific instruments.