JPL’s co-developer of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter wins contract for the Skyfall Mars helicopters
SkyFall helicopter deployment. Click for original animation.
AeroVironment (AV), the company that co-developed the Mars helicopter Ingenuity with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that proved the Martian atmosphere could sustain free flight, has now won a new contract to work with JPL to build the three Mars helicopters that will fly on NASA’S proposed Skyfall mission to Mars.
AV is leading the design and production of key elements of the SkyFall helicopters, including rotor systems, airframes, structures, avionics integration, and accommodation for multiple science payloads. JPL is leading the design and development of the power system, electronics, algorithms and software. The helicopters will carry a JPL‑designed ground‑penetrating radar (GPR) to look below the Martian surface, delivering new insight into shallow subsurface ice, central to both Mars science and future human exploration.
Skyfall is NASA administrator’s pet project that will a nuclear propulsion system developed by the Department of Energy to get to Mars quickly, with a targeted launch date of 2028. Though it is quite likely AV and JPL can get the helicopters ready on time, it remains to be seen whether the mission’s other components can meet this schedule.
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When I see the renderings, I think about the ‘aircraft carrier’ dirigibles of the 1930’s
Like many of us here, I seriously doubt that NASA gets this launched by the end of 2028. But Isaacman’s hustle may at least ensure that it launches *at all*, perhaps even by the end of the decade.
At any rate, it’s a good sign that NASA has officially got a contractor to build the helicopters. That was kinda important to nail down, you know.
Maybe someone has an answer for me: why just three helicopters? They’re quite small and light (they have to be to fly in Mars’ thin atmosphere), and just looking at the concept art you could easily fit three more. Is it a power requirement, a cooling requirement, something else?
Hello V-Man,
Maybe someone has an answer for me: why just three helicopters?
Keep in mind that Space Reactor-1 Freedom is just a *tech demonstration* mission. The science is much less important than demonstrating the tech, and NASA does not want to risk too much value (or risk delaying the schedule) on what is going to be a first-of-a-kind (admittedly, rather expensive) experimental vehicle. As is, the amount of sensory data you will get out of these helicopters is extremely limited, and that will be true regardless of whether you deploy 3 of them or 30 of them. I think three copters was the minimum they thought they could justify to prove out the platform.
If there is one group that could do it, it is AeroVironment. They are a top-notch engineering company that solve problems. Years ago as a student, our group competed against them, and they are sharp.
Just some background, AE was the group that came up with Impact concept electric car, the design for GM’s EV-1. One of AE’s engineers, Alan Coconni, started his own company making his own motors and controllers for electric vehicles. He had six patents on his designs and they were brilliant. Mr.Coconni sold his motors, controllers, and designs to Elon Musk who applied them to the Tesla vehicles.
Think of AeroVironment is like the “SkunkWorks” for the non-miltary project side of the world.
Very interesting, and cause for optimism! Thanks Jay!
If everything goes according to plan, ( launch date notwithstanding) this will be a game changer… I’ve been reading about nuclear propulsion since I was a young lad… And it’s great to get boots on the ground info that the development is in competent hands. We are genuinely living in the future!
Ground penetrating radar is interesting, but I’d like to see the air launched copter concept demonstrate the capability to navigate precisely to a ground target, say a MSR sample tube left on the ground by rovers, then take off and navigate to a another site where a theoretical return vehicle would collect said samples from the copter. This concept could accelerate science by enabling a MSR sample return that is cheaper and quicker than the expensive boondoggles that have been cancelled and left science goals of the rover to be abandoned.