NASA Sends Mars Helicopter Blades Beyond Mach 1

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NASA Sends Mars Helicopter Blades Beyond Mach 1

A wide shot inside a dark, cylindrical testing chamber with vertically ribbed walls. In the center, a large silver metal support structure holds a rotor with two long, dark blades. A person in a white lab coat stands to the right of the rig.

PIA26649

Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech

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NASA Sends Mars Helicopter Blades Beyond Mach 1

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Description

Engineer Fernando Mier-Hicks inspects a test stand used to investigate the performance of next-generation Mars helicopter rotor blades at high speeds inside the 25-Foot Space Simulator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in November 2025. Data from the tests indicate that the rotors could surpass the sound barrier without breaking apart.

The test campaign was funded by the agency’s Mars Exploration Program in pursuit of maximizing the capability of future aircraft flying at the Red Planet. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL manages the Mars Exploration Program for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

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