Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska,  Agency: Newsflash

This is the moment NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter explores a new airfield on Mars during its fifth successful flight.

Ingenuity is a small solar helicopter operating on the Red Planet as part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission.

On 19th April, Ingenuity became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

The small helicopter carried out its fifth flight to a new airfield on 7th May.

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on social media: “NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter completed its fifth flight with a one-way journey from Wright Brothers Field to a new airfield 423 feet (129 metres) to the south on May 7, 2021.

“Ingenuity climbed to a new altitude record of 33 feet (10 metres). The flight is part of the rotorcraft’s transition to its new operations demonstration phase.

“This phase will focus on investigating how a rotorcraft can be used, and demonstrate products that only a rotorcraft can provide from its aerial vantage point.

“Ingenuity became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021, from Wright Brothers Field in Jezero Crater, Mars.”

Josh Ravich, Ingenuity Mars Helicopter mechanical engineering lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: “Around the time of our first flight, we talked a lot about having our ‘Wright Brothers moment’ at Mars. And that makes a lot of sense, since those two mechanically-minded bicycle builders executed the first powered, controlled flight on Earth, and we were fortunate enough to do the same 117 years later – on another planet.”

The exploration continues.