Ingenuity Mars Helicopter breaks groundspeed record during 60th flight

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter seems to be unstoppable when it comes to shattering its own record on the Red Planet. From becoming the first aircraft to achieve powered flight on another planet to completing 60 flights in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere, the tiny helicopter continues to push the boundaries and achieve new milestones.

Lately, Ingenuity achieved another new milestone by hitting a groundspeed of 17.9 mph (8 m/s) during its 60th flight on Mars. The rotorcraft flew 1,116 ft (340 m) in 133 seconds at an altitude of 53 ft (16 m) during this flight. The primary goal of Flight 60 was to reposition the helicopter and image science targets.

60 flights – and another new record!Ingenuity completed is Flight 60, breaking a groundspeed record by hitting ~17.9 mph (8 m/s). The mighty #MarsHelicopter covered 1,116 ft (340 m) in 133 seconds at an altitude of 53 ft (16 m). https://t.co/7DMHj9LkNX pic.twitter.com/f3LqrRtqRE

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) September 26, 2023

NASA's Ingenuity was expected to perform up to five test flights on Mars, but it has completed 60 flights to date. The mighty helicopter provides aerial reconnaissance whilst scouting potential science targets for the Perseverance rover and capturing images of the Red Planet from unique vantage points.