The Martian helicopter passes the last preflight tests

The next NASA mission to Mars will be a real aircraft. An experimental Martian helicopter passes the last stages of testing on Earth before being sent to the red planet.

The launch of the first Mars Helicopter interplanetary helicopter is scheduled for July this year as part of the Mars 2020 mission, in which the new Perseverance rover will also go to Mars.

Pre-flight tests of the helicopter include checking the blades of the device, which during the experiment in a special airlock reached a speed of 50 revolutions per second, which is about 10 times faster than that of its earthly counterparts.

NASA hopes to fine-tune the mission under the flight window this summer, if the program cannot launch in July, the next window will have to wait 2 years. According to the agency’s plans, if the launch takes place within the expected time, the Mars rover with a helicopter on board will land on Mars in February 2021 in the Jesero Crater.