NASA is testing hypersonic helicopter blades for Mars exploration

Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California tested a new design for rotor blades, making them rotate at supersonic speeds (exceeding 1,224 km/h) at their tips.

These experiments were carried out inside a state-of-the-art chamber that simulates the atmosphere of Mars, by replacing regular air with low-density carbon dioxide.

After conducting 137 experiments, NASA obtained promising data indicating the possibility of increasing the helicopter's lifting capacity by 30%, which means that in the future it will be able to carry heavier scientific instruments and larger batteries, and fly longer distances.

The Ingenuity helicopter performed the first successful flight on Mars in April 2021, and flew 72 times over three years, exceeding all expectations. But it was designed as an experimental vehicle only, while the new helicopters will be integrated scientific vehicles.

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In the latest tests, the team rotated a three-blade rotor until its tips reached 1.08 times the speed of sound without being damaged. They also tested a longer rotor with two blades for a future project called Skyfall, scheduled to launch in December 2028 to transport three helicopters to Mars.

The longer rotor achieved near-sonic speeds at lower revolutions per minute.

NASA describes these results as a major step in proving the possibility of flight in difficult environments, opening the door to new exploration vehicles capable of reaching terrain that rovers may not be able to reach, and which orbiters may be too far away to study.