Archive · 26 Jul 2025
New Mars Chopper Mission to Aid Human Exploration Planned
Imagine sending a team of small helicopters to Mars to help humans explore.
That's what the Skyfall mission is planning!
A capsule will drop six helicopters all at once.
These helicopters will fly around, taking pictures and looking under the ground with radar to find good spots for people to land and search for resources.
This new plan will allow scientists to explore more of Mars than ever before, paving the way for human footprints on the Red Planet.
AeroVironment (AV) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are developing a Mars helicopter concept called Skyfall.
The Skyfall mission aims to deploy six helicopters simultaneously from a single capsule in 2028.
These helicopters will explore the Martian surface, searching for optimal landing sites for future human missions.
The helicopters will gather high-resolution images and use radar to search for subsurface resources.
The mission is designed to significantly expand the range and data collection capabilities compared to single-helicopter missions.
- Who
- AeroVironment (AV) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
- What
- A mission concept called Skyfall involving six helicopters to explore Mars.
- When
- Planned for launch in 2028.
- Where
- Mars.
- Why
- To scout potential landing sites and search for resources for future human missions.
- Mission Name
- Skyfall
- Organizations Involved
- AeroVironment (AV), NASA JPL
- Number of Helicopters
- 6
- Objective
- Scouting and Resource Search
- Planned Launch Year
- 2028