Without new landers or rovers, it's helicopters or bust for NASA's Mars program

For the first time in more than 30 years, NASA has no firm plans to send any new landers or rovers to Mars. Instead, the agency's near-term focus at the red planet is on aerial drones, a pioneering mode of exploration that didn't seem realistic until a few years ago.

The first real use of drones for science at Mars will be the SkyFall mission, a fleet of three helicopters set for launch as soon as late 2028. These helicopters will ride to Mars with NASA's Space Reactor-1 'Freedom' mission, whose primary objective is demonstrating nuclear electric propulsion in deep space. The launch schedule is aggressive for both projects, which didn't even exist in NASA's portfolio six months ago. SR-1 Freedom, estimated to cost $2.1 billion (excluding the helicopters), will repurpose the core module of the canceled Gateway lunar space station into a testbed for nuclear electric propulsion.

SkyFall builds on NASA's success with the Ingenuity helicopter, which became the first rotorcraft to fly on another world in 2021. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is partnering with AeroVironment, a developer of high-altitude drones, to design and build the three SkyFall helicopters plus one spare. AeroVironment announced last week it received a contract from JPL to 'co-design and co-manufacture' the helicopters. Ingenuity flew 72 times before a crash landing in early 2024, far exceeding its original plan of five test flights. The new vehicles will be somewhat larger than Ingenuity—about 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) instead of 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds)—with upgraded rotors to handle a heavier payload.

AeroVironment is responsible for the helicopters' rotor systems, airframes, structures, avionics integration, and accommodation for science payloads. JPL will develop the power system, electronics, algorithms, and software, along with a ground-penetrating radar to search for shallow subsurface ice below the Martian surface. Each helicopter will also carry a suite of cameras and sensors to gather data on the Martian atmosphere—an upgrade over Ingenuity, which carried two cameras but lacked sophisticated scientific instruments. AeroVironment's Jeff Rodrian said SkyFall will show that 'Mars helicopters can be built as a repeatable product line, not a one-off delivery.'