News
August 28, 2026
Technology Editor
Military Embedded Systems
Helicopter rotor close-up via AV
ARLINGTON, Virginia. AeroVironment won a contract to co-design and co-manufacture three autonomous helicopters with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the agency’s SkyFall mission to Mars, the company announced in a statement.
The mission is planned to launch in late 2028 and will use three instrument-carrying helicopters designed to enter the Martian atmosphere, separate from their carrier spacecraft, descend, and land under their own power, the statement reads.
AeroVironment will develop elements including rotor systems, airframes, structures, avionics integration, and accommodations for science payloads, while JPL will develop the power system, electronics, algorithms, and software, according to the company.
Each aircraft will carry a JPL-developed ground-penetrating radar intended to map subsurface ice. Additional instruments will collect data on the Martian atmosphere, dust transport, and other environmental conditions, AeroVironment says.
The SkyFall aircraft build on technology developed for NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which completed 72 flights on Mars, the statement reads.
NASA is targeting a November 2028 launch window for the mission.
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