Without new landers or rovers, it's helicopters or bust for NASA's Mars program

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Due to the lack of new landers and Mars vehicles, NASA plans to switch to using helicopters for Mars exploration missions. This approach aims to compensate for the limitations of existing detection methods and enhance the ability to explore the surface of Mars.

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FreedomIngenuityNASASkyFallSpace Reactor-1

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A Ars Technica en 2026-09-01 19:00

NASA does not plan to launch new Mars landers or rovers in the near future. Instead, it will focus on drone exploration. The first Mars drone mission for scientific research is the SkyFall project, which includes three helicopters and is scheduled to be launched at the end of 2028 along with NASA’s Space Reactor-1 “Freedom” mission. This mission aims to demonstrate deep-space nuclear power propulsion technology, and its core module was modified from the canceled Gateway lunar space station. The SkyFall project will build on the successful experience of Ingenuity helicopters, the first rotorcraft to fly on another planet in 2021.