NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter sends last message to Earth

NASA announced on Tuesday (April 16) that its Ingenuity Mars helicopter has sent its last transmission to Earth and will now serve as an immobile data-gathering unit on the surface of the red planet.

This aircraft, about the size of a tissue box, made history by completing the first powered flight on another celestial body. It accomplished this feat by hitching a ride under the Perseverance rover, which initially departed the Martian surface on April 19, 2021.

"A long goodbye," NASA said on social media site X.

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"Ingenuity's team received their final message from the #MarsHelicopter, which will now serve as a stationary testbed, collecting data that could benefit future explorers of the Red Planet," it further wrote.

Originally intended only to prove flight was possible in the ultra-thin Martian atmosphere through five test runs, Ingenuity defied all expectations.

Throughout its deployment, it took to the skies a total of 72 times, accumulating over two hours of flight time through brief hops. It navigated through challenges including dust storms, difficult terrain, a malfunctioning sensor, and extreme cold conditions.

Its role evolved into that of an aerial scout, aiding its wheeled companion in the exploration for evidence of ancient microbial life from a time when Mars was significantly wetter and warmer than it is today.

Especially designed to operate in springtime, its solar-powered heating system was unable to remain on throughout the night in winter. That led to the flight computer freezing over and forced engineers to devise new protocols.

NASA was trying to bring Martian rocks collected by the rover back to Earth faster and more cheaply, amid the agency facing mounting criticism for going massively over budget.

The effort comes as China is making progress towards a simpler "grab-and-go" sample return mission to the red planet "around 2030," according to state media, which would make it the first nation to achieve the feat.

(With inputs from agencies)