The helicopter Ingenuity, which travelled with the Mars robot Perseverance, survived its first night alone, the US space agency NASA has reported.
The chopper was detached from the robot jeep that landed on the red planet on February 18 on Saturday.
After that, the Ingenuity could no longer use the Perseverance’s energy and was dependent on its own solar panels. Also, to warm itself during the freezing night, the temperature can drop to minus 90 ° Celsius.
NASA calls it an “important leg” that the mini-helicopter survived that first night. The following days, the rig undergoes a series of tests.
The first flight will take place on April 11 at the earliest. It will then be the first powered flight on another planet.