News > NASA's Perseverance rover deploys Ingenuity helicopter on Mars' surface

NASA's Perseverance rover deploys Ingenuity helicopter on Mars' surface

Ingenuity mini-helicopter has been dropped on the surface of Mars in preparation for its first flight, the US space agency said. The ultra-light aircraft had been fixed to the belly of the Perseverance rover, which touched down on the Red Planet on 18 February.

Ingenuity will be attempting to fly in an atmosphere that is one percent the density of Earth's, which makes achieving lift harder.