Regulations and Government
NASA Helicopter Flies on Mars
Ingenuity becomes the first aircraft to conduct controlled, powered flight on another planet.

After a week delay, NASA’s $80 million Ingenuity Mars coaxial helicopter took flight at 3:34 a.m. EDT today for 39.1 seconds, hovering for 30 seconds total time and achieving an altitude of 10 feet. NASA received data confirming the flight at 6:46 a.m. Ingenuity is the first aircraft to make powered, controlled flight on another planet. “We don’t know exactly where Ingenuity will lead us, but today’s results indicate the sky—at least on Mars—may not be the limit,” said NASA administrator Steve Jurczyk. NASA said a second flight was scheduled no earlier than April 22 and that it would decide on how to expand the four-pound helicopter’s flight envelope after that. 


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