NASA conducted tests in September on next-generation carbon fiber rotor blades that could power larger and more capable Mars helicopters in the future.
The tests were carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s space simulator, the same facility where the Surveyor, Voyager and Cassini spacecraft were initially subjected to space-like conditions, the JPL website said Wednesday.
During the test, the rotor blades were spun at 3,500 revolutions per minute, or at nearly supersonic speed.
According to Sample Recovery Helicopter deputy test conductor Tyler Del Sesto, the new blades were made to spin 750 RPMs faster than what Ingenuity — NASA’s helicopter currently operating on the red planet — could achieve.
Compared to Ingenuity’s rotors, the new blades are over 10 centimeters longer and possess greater strength. They also feature a different design.
“These more efficient blades are now more than a hypothetical exercise,” Del Sesto noted, adding, “They are ready to fly.”