A new mission concept, Skyfall, has been revealed, proposing the deployment of six scout helicopters on Mars.
US-based defense tech company AeroVironment, Inc. (AV) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) unveiled this concept to advance Martian exploration.
The concept could be ready for launch by 2028. The vital data gathered from this mission could pave the way for ambitious human landings by 2030.
“Skyfall offers a revolutionary new approach to Mars exploration that is faster and more affordable than anything that’s come before it,” said William Pomerantz, Head of Space Ventures at AV.
“With six helicopters, Skyfall offers a low-cost solution that multiplies 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,” added Pomerantz.
Building on Ingenuity’s success
Mars has always captivated humanity with its enigmatic nature and vast possibilities. Space agencies have explored the Red Planet with various spacecraft, from rovers to orbiters.
And then, something extraordinary happened in 2021. A small, intrepid rotorcraft named Ingenuity achieved the impossible: the first powered flight on another world.
Ingenuity demonstrated that aerial exploration on Mars was achievable.
In under three years, the maiden Mars helicopter achieved 72 flights at Mars’ Jezero Crater. Far exceeding its original goals, it flew over 14 times longer and operated over 32 times beyond its expected lifespan.
Its mission sadly ended in January 2024 when its rotor blades were damaged.
Now, building on Ingenuity’s unparalleled success, AV and JPL are ready to take the next giant leap.
Skyfall will help prepare Mars for human landings by using six autonomous helicopters for aerial exploration — all deployed simultaneously from a much larger spacecraft.
The “Skyfall maneuver” is the core innovation of the Skyfall mission.
Instead of relying on a standard, costly, and complex landing platform, these six scout rotorcraft will be attached to an entry capsule and deployed directly from mid-air. This would happen during its descent through the Martian atmosphere.
The helicopters are expected to fly themselves down, eliminating a major expense and risk, and dramatically accelerating the exploration capabilities.
Exploring landing sites
Once on the surface, each Skyfall helicopter operates independently, acting as an aerial scout.
The helicopters would fan out to explore top candidate landing sites for the first Martian astronauts, beaming back high-resolution surface images and sub-surface radar data.
This data will help crewed vehicles land safely in areas rich in water, ice, and other resources.
In addition, the information gathered by Skyfall could answer one of humanity’s most puzzling questions: Was Mars ever home to life?
More technical details about the missions have not been disclosed.
“Ingenuity established the United States as the first and only country to achieve powered flight on another planet,” said Trace Stevenson, President of Autonomous Systems at AV.
“Skyfall builds on that promise, providing detailed, actionable data from an aerial perspective that will not only be of use planning for future crewed missions, but can also benefit the planetary science community in their search for evidence that life once existed on Mars,” Stevenson added.
With six helicopters, the mission can amplify its reach, data collection, and scientific research capabilities, pushing humanity closer to setting foot on Mars.
The proposed Skyfall mission is not the only concept vying to build on the success of Ingenuity.
In December, NASA unveiled another concept: an SUV-sized “Mars Chopper” with six rotor blades. This larger helicopter would have the capability to carry science payloads weighing up to 11 pounds (5 kilograms) and travel distances of up to 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) per Martian day.