It is expected that the rover and the helicopter will be on Mars on February 18 of next year.
Agency NASA reported that this week in the space centre to them. Kennedy had a Mars helicopter and its launch system suspended from the Perseverance rover. According to the plan of the upcoming mission, the aircraft will begin flights approximately two and a half months after the landing of the crewless ship’s landing on Mars.
Helicopter for flights on Mars attached to the Perseverance rover
The spacecraft that will deliver the rover and the aircraft to Mars should be launched from July 17 to August 5. Regardless of the exact launch date, the cargo will be on the surface of the Red Planet on February 18 of the next year.
The helicopter, which is visible in the centre of the lower part of the smaller image, weighs about 1.8 kg and is propelled by screws with a diameter of 1.2 m. It is connected to the on-board electrical network of the rover and can receive electricity from it before separation. After separation from the rover, the helicopter will generate electricity itself using a solar battery located above two screws rotating in opposite directions.
The helicopter will remain in the capsule under the rover’s bottom until about the beginning of May when the rover will move about 100 m from the landing site. After a comprehensive check of the helicopter’s systems takes place, flight tests are planned for 30 days.
The 1025 kg Perseverance rover will search for signs of past microbial life, conduct climate and geological measurements, and collect samples for return to Earth. This mission is part of a more extensive program, which also includes human-crewed flights to the moon by 2024 as a stage in preparation for human exploration of the Red Planet.
