Ingenuity may never fly above the surface of Mars again, but the downed helicopter is otherwise healthy and could serve as a weather station for decades, JPL says.

After over 70 flights, the Ingenuity helicopter — the first craft to ever make a powered, controlled flight on another planet — crashed in the Martian dunes in January 2024. But its unexpected achievement (engineers hoped it might make five flights) has prompted the conceptual design and planning for what the agency calls its "Mars Chopper."

Ingenuity ultimately operated for nearly three years and performed 72 flights over that span. On its final flight, the helicopter climbed to 40 feet (12 meters) above the Martian surface, but after 32 seconds, the chopper was back on the ground and communications had stopped.

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NASA has completed the final assessment of its Ingenuity Mars helicopter and finally revealed what led to its crash. The rotorcraft flew for the last time on January 18 this year and met its end after it made a hard landing, breaking its blades.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, the first to fly on another planet, crashed on Mars after 72 successful flights. A software glitch during its final fligh

Engineers now say they understand the most likely cause of the Ingenuity helicopter's crash landing on Mars earlier this year.