Ars Technica
• Stephen Clark
NASA estimates the SR-1 Freedom Mars mission will cost $2.1 billion, but that figure does not include helicopters. The program also faces questions about its capabilities in the absence of new landers or rovers, raising uncertainty around the scope of planned Mars exploration.
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NASA estimates the SR-1 Freedom Mars mission will cost $2.1 billion, but that figure does not include helicopters. The program also faces questions about its capabilities in the absence of new landers or rovers, raising uncertainty around the scope of planned Mars exploration.
NASA and AeroVironment are moving forward with development of a helicopter fleet intended for deployment to Mars at the end of 2028. The SkyFall effort would extend rotorcraft operations beyond Ingenuity, positioning aerial mobility as a potential tool for future planetary exploration.
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A new National Space Transportation Policy directs the Defense Department, NASA and other agencies to identify regulatory, operational, programmatic and technological barriers to faster, more resilient access to space. The policy also calls for expanded launch infrastructure, including evaluating a new federally supported spaceport for heavy-lift vehicles.
Japan has revealed the spacecraft for its Martian Moons eXploration mission, scheduled to launch Oct. 19. MMX will travel to Mars’ moon Phobos, collect surface material and return the samples to Earth, providing a closer look at one of the Red Planet’s enigmatic satellites.
NASA is testing technologies aimed at reducing dependence on Earth-based infrastructure and improving mobility beyond Earth. The agency demonstrated GPS-free optical navigation on its Starling CubeSat swarm, evaluated wheel designs for lunar bases, and developed a fabric-based ground-penetrating-radar antenna for SkyFall Mars helicopters.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has completed initial tests of a lightweight radar antenna for the planned SkyFall mission, which would deploy three small helicopters on Mars. The ground-penetrating system is designed to search for subsurface frozen water while enabling airborne exploration of the Red Planet.
NASA released a video featuring images and a time-lapse of Mars captured during the Psyche spacecraft’s flyby. The mission team also tested the spacecraft’s other instruments to verify they are functioning, using a Mars gravity-assist to gain speed and refine trajectory toward its eventual target.
NASA has run tests of an advanced Mars rover prototype in California’s desert, using the field environment to validate designs aimed at avoiding entrapment in fine lunar or Martian dust. The prototype is intended to help scientists develop robots that can reason about conditions and navigate challenging terrain more reliably.
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