NASA · Aerospace · 2021
First aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet. Small autonomous coaxial-rotor helicopter delivered to Mars by Perseverance in February 2021. Designed for just 5 flights and 30 sols; ultimately completed 72 flights covering 17 km over nearly 3 years before sustaining rotor blade damage in January 2024. Famously powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (commercial smartphone chip).
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View full interactive profile, comparisons & videos →| Category | Aerospace |
| Sub-type | Mars Helicopter |
| Status | Active |
| Year | 2021 |
| Origin | USA |
| Also known as | Mars Helicopter, Ginny |
| Announced | 2014 |
| Released | 2021-04-19 |
| Dimensions (H×W×D) | 490 × 1200 × 1200 mm |
| Weight | 1.8 kg |
| Frame | Carbon fiber, composites |
| Degrees of freedom | 6 |
| Max speed | 10 m/s |
| Battery | 36 Wh |
| Camera | Navigation camera (B&W) + Return to Earth (RTE) color camera |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (commercial smartphone SoC) |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Actuator type | Coaxial counter-rotating rotors (2x 1.2 m), 2400 RPM |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Made in | USA (NASA JPL) |
