Mars Ingenuity Helicopter Has Lost Communications

In a post to X, NASA JPL reported that contact with the Ingenuity helicopter has been lost.  The tweet linked to a JPL project page with a more complete story.  More is a relative word.  They apparently still don't know many details they think they can pass on.

On Jan. 18, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter executed its 72nd flight at the Red Planet. The flight was designed as a quick pop-up vertical flight to check out the helicopter’s systems, following an unplanned early landing during its previous flight. Data Ingenuity sent to the Perseverance rover (which acts as a relay between the helicopter and Earth) during the flight indicates it successfully climbed to its assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet (12 meters). During its planned descent, communications between the helicopter and rover terminated early, prior to touchdown. The Ingenuity team is analyzing available data and considering next steps to reestablish communications with the helicopter.

Ingenuity has been flying near Perseverance and helping ground controllers plan its route through the Jezero crater it has been exploring.  JPL says it is out of line-of-sight to Ingenuity, which probably would help but couldn't hurt the radio link, depending on the frequencies they use.  The rover should be able to drive over toward the expected location of the helicopter and take pictures, which might be the most helpful thing it could do. 

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was captured by the Perseverance rover’s Mastcam-Z on April 16, not long after the little helicopter's 50th flight. The helicopter would soon fall silent for 63 days due to hilly terrain that interrupted communications between the rover and aircraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS