Claims: Without new landers or rovers, it's helicopters or bust for NASA's Mars program
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- title: Without new landers or rovers, it's helicopters or bust for NASA's Mars program Source
- url: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/without-new-landers-or-rovers-its-helicopters-or-bust-for-nasas-mars-program/ Source
- summary: For the first time in more than 30 years, NASA has no firm plans to send any new landers or rovers to Mars. Instead, the agency's near-term focus at the red planet is on aerial drones, a pioneering mode of exploration that didn't seem realistic until a few years ago. The first real use of drones for science at Mars will come with the SkyFall mission, a fleet of three helicopters set for launch as soon as late 2028. SkyFall's helicopters will ride to the red planet with NASA's Space Reactor-1 "Fr… Source
- published: Tue, 01 Sep 2026 11:00:35 +0000 Source