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Testing shows rotor blades won’t disintegrate when they spin at supersonic speed.

Artist's illustration of the SkyFall helicopters preparing for deployment on Mars.

Credit:

NASA/JPL-Caltech

A little more than three years since NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter ended its pioneering mission at Mars, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California are designing next-generation Martian rotorcraft to carry heavier payloads longer distances through the planet’s low-density atmosphere.

Ingenuity was a resounding success , becoming the first airborne platform to explore another world. The dual-bladed helicopter made 72 flights, overachieving NASA’s original goal of five flights over 30 days, after delivery to Mars by the Perseverance rover.…