// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did SkyFall helicopter go to therapy? It had a falling issue.
SkyFall is a proposed NASA mission that consists of three autonomous helicopters that will operate on the surface of Mars.
| SkyFall | |
|---|---|
 Concept art of the SkyFall helicopter | |
| Type | Extraterrestrial autonomous UAV helicopter |
| Owner | NASA |
| Manufacturer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory AeroVironment |
| Specifications | |
| Dry mass | 5 lb (2.3 kg) |
| Power | Solar array-charged Li ion batteries |
| History | |
| Deployed |
|
| NASA Mars helicopters | |
Development
[edit]The concept for a Six-helicopter Swarm was pitched by teams from AeroVironment and Jet Propulsion Laboratory in early 2025. The mission was conceptualised to perform water resource scouting and provide critical data that guides future mission planning, including selection of landing sites for potential human missions to Mars. Each helicopter has been proposed to operate independently of the others. A larger portion of the development of the mission concept derives from JPL's transfer of technology related to avionics, flight software, and modeling systems to AeroVironment, who has been appointed for co-desiging and co-manufacturing components for the SkyFall helicopters with JPL.[1][2][3] The Skyfall mission was officially announced by NASA administrator Jared Issacman at the NASA Ignition event in 2026 as a three-helicopter component to map water ice on Mars.The mission is to launch as an additional payload on the Space Reactor -1 Freedom mission scheduled for late 2028.[4][5][6] The mission recived initial criticism as it was announced out of budget and concieved primarily as a demonstration mission, not a scientific one.[7]
Design
[edit]The SkyFall helicopters use the same technology as pioneered by the Inguenity helicopter. It will have a height of 52 centimetres (20 in) and a mass of 5 kilograms (11 lb). It will be propelled by an electric motor, driving two counter-rotating co-axial blades, each of lenght 1.35 metres (4.4 ft).[8] JPL engineers have demonstrated the ability of the helicopters blades to break the sound barrier on Mars, with a design rated speed of Mach 1.08, as compared to Ingenuity's subsonic Mach 0.7. They are optimised to spin at 3,570, giving a flight speed of Mach 0.98, although earlier designs evalued the concept of a slower three-bladed rotor at a higher 3,750 rpm. The new blade design allows for mare lift to be produced, allowing greater payload capacity for the helicopter.[9][10]
The EDL components for the SkyFall mission would be built by Firefly aerospace via a $13 million subcontract from JPL. The aeroshell, heatshield and other support platforms will be made at Firefly's Gloworks facility in Texas.[11][12] Instead of having a conventional lander, all three helicopters will detach from the aeroshell and would use thier own power to land on Mars. This has been dubbed the "Skyfall maneuver." During each flight, the helicopters are expected to use cameras and ground-penetrating radar to map the local terrain, assess potential landing hazards and possibly locate subsurface ice, which are important factors for a crewed mars mission.[2][13] The mission concept has been designed to supplement Mars rovers and orbiters, with thier agility and speed permitting scientists to explore a wider area faster and at less cost.[14]
Instruments
[edit]All three SkyFall helicopters are Identical and will have four payloads.[15] Unlike the technology demonstration of the Inguenity mission, all Three skyfall helicopters have been designed to carry out scientific and exploration tasks.[16]
Optical and near-Infrared cameras
[edit]13-megapixel color cameras are being developed for the mission. They can also be used to create 3-D images and aid identification of hazardous objects. Specialized near-IR cameras will be used to analyze to analyze the composition of Martian soil near landing sites.
The Helicopters will each carry a small GPR antenna that will be hung from the side of the spacecraft, akin to a cape. The mission would use a type of flexible antenna called Vivaldi that was first developed in 1978 and is to survey upto 5 metres (16 ft) below the martian surface. The antennae is significantly longer than the helicopters landing legs, which has resulted in it beign designed to bend out of the way during a landing. It is protected by multiple layers of Polyester and Vectran and weighs about 142 grams (5.0 oz). By August 2026, JPL engineers had tested the antenna for over 200 possible landing scenarios.[17]
Specialised sensors to provide local temprature and measure local wind patterns and directions in flight
A dedicated commercial off-the-shelf Micro Dosimeter derived from LRO instrumentation will be used for mission
Mission History
[edit]The mission is expected to launch in late 2028, as a co-manifested payload on the SR-1 Freedom mission.[13] It's landing site is yet to be determined.[8]
See Also
[edit]- ARES – 2008 robotic Mars aircraft proposal
- Dragonfly – Robotic rotorcraft mission to Saturn's moon Titan, planned launch in 2028
- Mars Aerial and Ground Global Intelligent Explorer – Solar aircraft concept to fly in Mars atmosphere
- Mars Piloted Orbital Station - manned Mars orbital command module concept to control robots on and above the surface
- Sky-Sailor – 2004 proposal of a robotic Mars aircraft
- Exploration of Mars
References
[edit]- ↑ "SKYFALL". AeroVironment. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- 1 2 Mendenhall, Brooks (1 August 2025). "'Skyfall' concept could deploy a helicopter swarm on Mars". Astronomy Magazine. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Whitney, Jamie (28 July 2025). "AeroVironment, JPL unveil Skyfall Mars helicopter concept for 2028 mission". Military Aerospace. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Brown, Lachlan (29 April 2026). "NASA flew a four-pound helicopter on Mars. The follow-up weighs nearly a ton and is going to Saturn". Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Wattles, Jackie (24 March 2026). "NASA announces new Mars mission, reshapes goals on the moon | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ "NASA announces nuclear-powered mission: Skyfall helicopters to reach Mars by 2028". The Times of India. 28 March 2026. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Bartels, Meghan. "Will NASA's SkyFall Mars helicopter fleet sink science at the Red Planet?". Scientific American. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- 1 2 "SkyFall - NASA Science". 14 July 2026. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Starr, Michelle (12 May 2026). "NASA's Next-Gen Mars Helicopter Rotors Have Broken The Sound Barrier in Tests". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ "NASA Pushes Next-Gen Mars Helicopter Rotor Blades Past Mach 1". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Archived from the original on 24 May 2026. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Schnautz, Risa (7 July 2026). "Firefly Aerospace Receives $13 Million NASA JPL Subcontract to Build Aeroshell for SkyFall Mars Mission". Firefly Aerospace. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Dinner, Josh (8 July 2026). "NASA begins funding hardware for 'Skyfall' Mars helicopter mission". Space. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- 1 2 "SkyFall: NASA unveils next-generation Mars helicopters for deep exploration - hube magazine". 2 April 2026. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Science Desk, India Today (25 July 2025). "Nasa working on deploying six helicopters on Mars: All about Skyfall". India Today. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ "SkyFall on Mars: Water-snooping Helicopters Spun Up". Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ "Nasa plans nuclear-powered mission to send Skyfall helicopters to Mars by 2028". The Indian Express. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
- ↑ Gohd, Chelsea (7 August 2026). "NASA's SkyFall Mars helicopters will wear tiny capes". Space. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
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