A prototype of a metal fabric antenna, weighing just 150 grams, survived 200 simulated landings without losing performance. The three helicopters are planned to reach Mars via a fission-powered spacecraft and deploy in midair during descent.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers NASA (JPL) Completed the first series of tests on a flexible radar antenna designed for three helicopters SkyFall – The next generation of aircraft that NASA plans to send toMars Following the success of the helicopter IngenuityThe antenna is supposed to allow helicopters to map layers of water ice The burials are relatively shallow below the surface.
The test does not mean that the system is ready for flight. NASA emphasizes that vibration tests, deployment in conditions simulating the Martian environment, and additional tests of the radar's performance are still required. However, the prototype withstood 200 simulated landings on Mars – more than double the number of landings required for the main mission – without any measurable decrease in transmission and reception performance.
The gap between the dashes on the surface
Mars orbiters can detect large ice deposits, but they have difficulty mapping with sufficient resolution the structure of the upper meters of the regolith—the layer of dust, crushed rocks, and loose material that covers the planet's surface. Ice that lies a few meters deep may be relatively accessible to future astronauts.
Water extracted from the ice could be used for drinking, oxygen production, and even for the production of hydrogen and oxygen as rocket fuel. Therefore, the location and depth of shallow ice reservoirs could affect the selection of landing sites for manned missions.
“The only way to remotely detect shallow ice beneath the surface is to fly close to the ground,” said Adrian Tang, lead scientist for the SkyFall ground-penetrating radar instrument. He said flying low and slow would allow radar images to be created that distinguish between dry land and the ice beneath it and map the extent of the reservoir.
The radar is designed to explore underground structures and search for ice at depths of about 0.5 to three meters. The system will operate in a wide range of frequencies, from 500 to 2,500 MHz. The longer wavelengths will penetrate deeper, while the higher frequencies will provide more precise details about the upper layers and surface texture.
An antenna that is forced to bend on every landing
A standard antenna suitable for these frequencies would have to be about 48 centimeters long and pointed directly at the ground. However, the planned spacing between the helicopter's body and Mars is only about 15 centimeters.
After considering several options, the task force choseVivaldi Antenna – A flat, curved antenna capable of transmitting and receiving over a wide, continuous range of frequencies. The antenna is named after the composer Antonio Vivaldi, because its inventor, Peter Gibson, believed that its outline resembled a violin.
JPL engineers have miniaturized the antenna and adapted it for studying dusty, dry ground, which attenuates radio waves less than moist soil on Earth. Even so, the antenna is still about 1.5 times longer than the helicopter's legs. It is supposed to bend to the side with each landing, and in the case of a rock landing, fold even more. After takeoff, it must straighten out and maintain its shape during flight.
The antenna is made of flexible metal fabric coated with polyester and layers of Vectran – a strong and lightweight material that was also used in the airbags that protected the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity during their landings. Flexible fiberglass ribbon springs and a lightweight magnesium frame help it straighten and maintain its shape. The entire assembly weighs about 150 grams.
Simulation of 200 landings
At JPL's Environmental Experiments Laboratory, engineers repeatedly bent the antenna and moved it between extreme temperatures to simulate the day and night cycles on Mars, where the temperature difference can reach about 94 degrees Celsius.
During the series of tests, the antenna was taken six times into an electromagnetic chamber, where its ability to transmit and receive radar signals was tested. The engineers even turned it so that the structure had to bear a load greater than that exerted on it by the gravity of Mars, which reaches about 38% of the gravity on Earth.
After simulating 200 landings, no degradation in antenna performance was found. The next step will be to build an engineering model that will undergo vibration testing, deployment in a Mars-simulating environment, signal testing, and field testing at JPL's "Mars Yard."
Three heirs to Ingenuity
The three SkyFall helicopters are based on the experience gathered during Ingenuity’s 72 flights between 2021 and 2024. Ingenuity was originally sent as a technology demonstration for only five flights, but continued to operate for almost three years, proving that powered, controlled flight is possible in the thin atmosphere of Mars.
Each SkyFall helicopter is planned to weigh about five kilograms and reach a height of about 52 centimeters. The diameter of each of the two opposing rotors will be about 1.35 meters. Along with the ground-penetrating radar, they are supposed to carry 13-megapixel color cameras, near-infrared cameras, temperature and wind sensors, and a radiation meter.
Combining the measurements will make it possible to map the surface and the ground beneath it, track dust movement, and examine areas that may be suitable for astronaut landings and activities.
The helicopters will not need an all-terrain vehicle to act as a relay station, as required by Ingenuity. They are supposed to communicate directly with the spacecraft and mission systems.
Airborne deployment instead of landing
SkyFall is scheduled to launch in late 2028 as a payload for the Space Reactor-1 Freedom spacecraft. According to NASA, if the mission goes as planned, it will be the first interplanetary spacecraft to generate energy from a nuclear fission reactor and use it for electric propulsion in deep space. This is an actual fission reactor, not a radioisotope generator of the type used by many spacecraft in the past.
The current flight plan includes a first flyby of Mars in 2029 and a return to Mars in the fall of 2030. During reentry, the SkyFall assembly will be slowed by a parachute and then by rocket engines. Instead of landing inside a lander, the three helicopters will be released while the system is in the air, move away from it, and land independently – hence the mission’s name.
This is one of the most risky and ambitious phases of the program. As of August 2026, this is a future mission and the hardware is still in the development and certification processes, so the schedule and design are subject to change.
Questions and Answers
What will SkyFall helicopters look for on Mars?
The helicopters will useGround-penetrating radar To identify and map water ice located at a depth of about half a meter to three meters below the surface.
Why are helicopters needed and not measurements from the runway?
Radars can detect large ice deposits, but have difficulty discerning the precise structure of shallow ground layers. Flying low allows radar to provide a more detailed picture.
Why does the radar antenna fold?
The antenna is longer than the distance between the helicopter body and the ground. It must bend during landing and straighten again after takeoff, without breaking or losing its performance.
Are the helicopters ready for launch?
No. The antenna prototype has undergone a significant series of tests, but vibration, environmental, deployment, and radar performance tests are still required before flight certification.
Source/Original article:
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announcement on the antenna experiment
SkyFall mission page on NASA website
Space Reactor-1 Freedom on the NASA website
More of the topic in Hayadan:
- Mars Helicopter Successfully Takes Off on Its First Flight
- NASA's Mars Helicopter Will Be the First Aircraft on Another Planet
- Ice has been discovered only one meter deep below the surface of Mars
- Fast Track to Mars: NASA's Nuclear Engines
- NASA has selected 41 technology projects for future missions to the Moon and Mars
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