NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, which marked a milestone in space exploration by performing the first controlled flight on another planet in April 2019, is now facing a puzzling predicament. The rotorcraft has been notably inconsistent in communicating with its engineering team on Earth, causing significant hurdles in its operation and creating uncertainty among mission controllers.
NASA’s Martian marvel took its 49th flight on April 2, 2023, setting new records for height and airspeed. However, after this historical flight, the transmission of instructions for subsequent missions became sporadic and unreliable. This disruption in communication has complicated navigation of the Martian landscape, primarily ensuring the rotorcraft stays within range but at a safe distance from the Perseverance rover, the key player of the Mars 2020 program.
The origins of Ingenuity’s communication issues can be traced back to its 40th flight in January 2023, according to Travis Brown, Ingenuity’s chief engineer. Brown highlighted that the rotorcraft started to experience “brownouts” or periods when it would retreat to a low-power mode, which aids in survival during the severe Martian winters. Although similar cold-induced power drops have previously alarmed NASA engineers, the unpredictable occurrence of these brownouts has been particularly problematic for coordinating flights.
Adding to the complexity, Perseverance rover has been continuing its exploration across Jezero Crater’s western rim, investigating a dried-up river delta for signs of geological and astrobiological significance.
On Martian day (Sol) 755, the engineering team lost contact with the helicopter, initiating a week of distressing silence. Not once in over 700 Martian days of operating the helicopter had they encountered a total radio blackout, Brown pointed out. Nevertheless, radio signals on Sols 761 and 762 proved that Ingenuity was still operational.
Further analysis revealed that a ridge on the Martian surface between Perseverance and Ingenuity was obstructing the signals from the helicopter. The communication issues were particularly tense during Ingenuity’s 50th flight, when Perseverance drew dangerously close—262 feet (80 meters) from the helicopter—before successful instructions could be uplinked to the rover.
Another concern is the accumulation of dust on the helicopter’s solar panels, which could potentially interfere with its power supply. The team is on high alert to avoid a similar scenario to the one that ended the InSight lander mission in the previous year.
Despite the hurdles, the hope is that Ingenuity will continue to prove its mettle, reinforcing its role as a pioneering scout for the Perseverance rover and furthering our understanding of the Red Planet.
