NASA Will Launch An Autonomous Drone From Rover In 2020 Mars Mission

As part of the 2020 Mars Mission, NASA will launch its rover with a small helicopter which can operate autonomously. As announced by NASA a few months ago, the football-sized helicopter is planned to set its footprint on the Red Planet soon.

Though the rover will carry this drone, they can be detached easily due to the helicopter’s autonomy. Once it has flown around with autonomous control, it will help scientists to discover evidence of life on the Mars surface. First developed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2013, the presence of this mini-helicopter in 2020 Mars Mission then came with a lot of attention and surprises. According to a report from Spaceflight Now, there’re still a few checks and tests waiting for it to ensure the progress of launching both the helicopter and the rover while they’re leaving the atmosphere on Earth, landing on Mars or experiencing the vigorous vibration.

As for the details, the helicopter has the same size as a football with 4 pounds in weight. NASA stated that it will stay around the comfort zone of the rover while exploring the landing site, and it will have the ability to make heavier-than-air vehicles viable on another planet. Though it has passed a pack of difficult tests, its role in exploration operations is still highly experimental.

Being placed on the body of the rover via a plate, the solar-powered helicopter was installed with a shield for protection during the landing time. A destination named Jezero Crater will be the place for the helicopter to conduct a series of test flights.

NASA described that the helicopter will likely come with not only high risks but also high rewards in terms of technology. First and foremost, it will kick the tires of similar technologies for future endeavors. Even failed, the goal of 2020 Mars Mission won’t be hindered at any cost.