Did you know that operators spent a little over two months without communication with the helicopter on the surface of Mars? Its 50th flight, back in April of this year, was a record-breaking flight for the rotorcraft, called Ingenuity.

NASA said last week that the Ingenuity helicopter is alive and well after its 52nd flight. The landing zone for the flight, which was a scouting mission for future Perseverance rover travels, placed Ingenuity behind a ridgeline and out of communication with the rover.

This is routine for Ingenuity and has happened before. During the flight, Ingenuity can send back data and images, however, it must wait until contact is established to certify that all is well.

During the 63-day hiatus, which was expected, teams had to wait to know the true outcome of flight 52. Although the streak of 100% successful flights continues, anything can happen at any time.

Flight 52 was a 1,191-foot (363-meter) flight to inspect…

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Source: spaceexplored.com