Ingenuity’s Navcam Reveals a Missing Rotor Blade

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter used its black-and-white navigation camera to capture this video showing the shadows of its rotor blades turning on Feb. 11, 2024. Engineers planned the video to get more information about damage that was sustained by the rotor blades after a rough landing occurred during the helicopter’s 72nd flight on Jan. 18, 2024.

This video shows that Ingenuity’s upper rotor, the first rotor seen in this video, has a rotor blade missing. The blade appears to have separated near the mast.

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the project for the agency. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. JPL is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California.