AeroVironment Pitches a New Mars Helicopter

Aerospace technology firm throws its hat in the ring with a new concept for future rotorcraft missions on the Red Planet.

Jack Daleo

Friday, July 25, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Jack Daleo

AeroVironment’s Skyfall concept is designed to enable future helicopter missions on Mars. [Courtesy: AeroVironment]

Key Takeaways:

AeroVironment and NASA JPL have unveiled "Skyfall," a concept for future Mars helicopter missions, aiming to deploy a fleet of self-flying rotorcraft to the Red Planet by 2028.
Building on the success of the *Ingenuity* Mars helicopter, Skyfall will utilize a novel "Skyfall maneuver" where six scout helicopters deploy from a mothership during atmospheric descent, eliminating the need for a dedicated landing platform.
These autonomous helicopters will independently explore the Martian subsurface for water and resources, aiding in the selection of sites for future astronaut missions and accelerating scientific research.

See a mistake? Contact us.

AeroVironment’s aptly named Skyfall is like something out of a James Bond movie.

The aerospace technology firm on Thursday unveiled the concept, which it described as a system for potential future helicopter missions on Mars. Codeveloped with engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Skyfall could deploy a small fleet of self-flying rotorcraft to the Red Planet by 2028, AeroVironment said.