NASA Accelerates SkyFall: Three Mars Helicopters to Ride Nuclear-Powered SR-1 Freedom in 2028

NASA is speeding up work on three helicopters that will be deployed into the sky above Mars.

The SkyFall helicopters will travel aboard NASA's Space Reactor-1 Freedom spacecraft, slated for launch in 2028 and described as the first fission nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft. SR-1 is assigned to drop off the SkyFall entry capsule, and its trajectory will deliver the helicopters in Mars' northern hemisphere during spring to avoid dust storms.

SkyFall builds on Ingenuity, which flew more than 70 missions at Jezero Crater despite being designed for five. The mission will use three identical helicopters released from an entry vehicle roughly 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) above Mars, each landing independently.

Landing sites

NASA's Mars Exploration Program and the SkyFall project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will choose where to fly. A first workshop on potential landing sites is slated for early next year, with a second in late 2027, to produce a ranked list of sites.