NASA's Mars helicopter set to hit new altitude record in new flight

NASA's Mars helicopter is preparing for a new flight this week, set to hit a new altitude record of about 16 meters, NASA said on Tuesday.

The flight, the 49th of the helicopter on Mars, will take place no earlier than Wednesday. It is expected to fly for more than 135 seconds, and travel about 272.5 meters, according to NASA.

The helicopter, named Ingenuity, arrived at Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18 of 2021, attached to the belly of NASA's Perseverance rover. The helicopter is a technology demonstration to test powered flight on another planet for the first time.

The helicopter was designed to fly for up to 90 seconds, to distances of almost 300 meters at a time and about 3 to 4.5 meters from the ground, according to NASA.