Meet the mini helicopter NASA is going to fly on Mars

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It’s a helicopter because of how it’s designed, but it could be easily confused with the drone your neighbor bought on Amazon. 

This small aircraft won’t be hovering over your next backyard barbecue, though (social-distancing notwithstanding).

Meet the Mars Helicopter.

It passed its final tests over the weekend, and NASA says it’s ready to hitch a ride to the red planet. The twin-rotor, solar-powered chopper will be attached to Perseverance, the new Mars rover that arrived in February at Cape Canaveral. They’re both scheduled to launch in July aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

If everything goes according to plan, Perseverance and the helicopter will make it to Mars by February 2021. NASA says mission managers will find an “acceptable area” for test flights before they let the helicopter start hovering over an alien world.

Can you imagine how cool the pictures are going to be?

Related coverage: 

• Mars 2020 rover arrives in Florida for final preps before summer launch
• NASA sending nearly 11 million people to Mars aboard new rover
• Meet Perseverance: The rover heading to Mars this summer

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