First Flight On Mars

On April 19, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter became the first aircraft to fly on another planet.

Our most recent package details the historic first flight of the 4-lb. robotic rotorcraft, which lasted 39.1 seconds, and its follow-up venture on April 22, and looks ahead to its future test program. The technology lays the groundwork for aerial exploration of Mars, an aeronautical feat given the air density of Mars is less than 1% of the density on Earth. See below for more.

“How do we use aerial mobility in the future on Mars, to help not just robotic exploration, but to help human exploration?”
Ellen Stofan
Smithsonian
Jan 23, 2026
Listen in as Aviation Week's Guy Norris and Graham Warwick report back from their annual pilgrimage to AIAA SciTech.
Jan 23, 2026
The Space Force is breaking ground with commercial partners and intelligence agencies to deliver the moving target indication data to fight and win tomorrow’s wars.
Jan 23, 2026
Congress pushes back on Trump’s plan to cut NASA spending.
Jan 22, 2026
From “left-of-launch” early warning to terminal defense, Pitch Black is targeted at an integrated kill web hypersonic defense system.
Jan 22, 2026
NASA is aiming to send a crew of four into deep space for the first time since 1972.
Jan 22, 2026
Senior editor Craig Covault interviewed Alan Stern, overall lead manager and principal investigator for the Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft, for a feature in the issue dated January 9, 2006.
Jan 20, 2026
Editors are joined by Russ Matijevich, space industry veteran and a judge in the Space Tech Challenge Awards. Nominations are now open—could your solution be a winner?
Jan 16, 2026
An unspecified but nonemergency concern has prompted an early end to the SpaceX Crew-11 mission.