AeroVironment, in collaboration with NASA, introduced a new Mars helicopter for exploration, Skyfall. The concept involved a next-generation helicopter for future human landing and Mars exploration.
The newly developed carrier is designed to deploy six helicopters on the Mars surface. There will be no need for cost-driven traditional landing platforms. The aerial vehicles would be autonomous and operate independently.
The “Skyfall Maneuver” would drop six helicopters from an entry while it is mid-descent through the Martian atmosphere. Following the release, each helicopter would then fly independently to the surface using its own power.
Skyfall is designed to deploy six scout helicopters on Mars, where they would explore many of the sites selected by NASA and industry as top candidate landing sites for America’s first Martian astronaut.
The purpose of the mission is to take high-resolution images of the Mars surface and collect radar data about what lies beneath the rocky surface of the red planet.
William Pomerantz, the Head of Space Venture at AeroVironment, explained: “With six helicopters, Skyfall offers a low-cost solution that multiples the range we would cover, the data we would collect, and the scientific research we would conduct – making humanity’s first footprints on Mars meaningfully closer.”
The Skyfall mission is inspired by the success of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter program. The first powered flight on another planet was made on April 19, 2021.
Ingenuity established the United States as the first and only country to achieve powered flight on another planet.
AeroVironment is a defence contractor that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The company’s headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.
