NASA’s Ingenuity team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory received data from the helicopter via NASA’s Perseverance rover at 6:46 a.m. EDT (3:46 a.m. PDT) on 2021-04-19.
Before the final pre-flight test issue, Ingenuity had deployed from the underside of Perseverance, charged its batteries using a small solar panel, and briefly tested its rotors at low speed.
Matt Wallace became the 2020-03-01 Perseverance mission project manager on 2021-03-03.
NASA will launch the Mars Ascent Vehicle and a fetch rover to Mars in 2026 to collect samples prepared by the Perseverance rover.
The Perseverance rover launched in 2020-07-01 and landed on Mars on 2021-02-18.
NASA’s Perseverance rover performed its first drive on Mars on 2021-03-04.
SENER Aeroespacial designed, manufactured, tested, and integrated the pointing mechanism for Perseverance’s high-gain antenna, which provides direct two-way communication between the rover and Earth tracking stations.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory teams have been performing checkouts of Perseverance systems, including deployments of its high-gain antenna and instrument mast, since the 2021-02-18 landing.
The Perseverance rover is powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) developed by Teledyne Energy Systems.
Teledyne Technologies has contributed advanced, high-performance image sensors to the Mars Rover Perseverance.
Teledyne provided CCD image sensors for the SuperCam and the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC) instruments on the Perseverance rover.
Perseverance’s mast was scheduled to be raised on Saturday, 2021-02-20, after which the Navcams were expected to take panoramas of the rover deck and surroundings.
MAVEN is a 2013 Mars orbiter that is still studying the planet’s atmosphere and will serve as a communications relay for Perseverance.
JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
Perseverance will drive to a nearby location judged best for the helicopter test and release Ingenuity in a process that takes about 10 days to complete.
Samples cached by Perseverance are planned to be returned to Earth by two later missions that will launch no earlier than 2026 as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign.
Perseverance is equipped with a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) that provides electricity and heat for its exploration of Jezero Crater.
Northrop Grumman Corporation provided key navigation and critical components to support NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Perseverance Rover that landed in Jezero Crater on 2021-02-18.
NASA will deploy Ingenuity early in the Mars 2020 mission for flight tests after the Perseverance rover lands.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in the 541 configuration launched NASA’s 2020-03-01 mission with Perseverance and Ingenuity on 2020-07-30.