A Historic Leap for Flight Beyond Earth

On April 19, 2021, NASA made history by flying a powered, man-controlled helicopter on another planet for the first time. This achievement was the result of years of engineering, testing and refinement inside specialized Earth-based chambers designed to simulate the harsh, low-density environment of Mars. Ingenuity became the first aircraft to attempt powered flight on another world, which introduced challenges unlike any faced in traditional aerospace development. The helicopter needed to be exceptionally light, incredibly strong and capable of generating enough lift in an atmosphere with only about one percent of Earth’s density. These demands made advanced composite materials essential, and TeXtreme® played a crucial role in the design. The helicopter incorporates TeXtreme® in its solar panel substrate, the electronics enclosure and the rotor blades.

Engineering a Lightweight Aircraft for Mars

NASA, JPL and AeroVironment engineers needed a material that could deliver stiffness with minimal weight, ensuring that no energy was wasted during flight. After searching for an ultra-thin, ultra-light and highly stiff solution, the team turned to TeXtreme® and collaborated with our engineers to identify the optimal variant for Ingenuity’s unique conditions. This made it possible to design rotor blades capable of producing lift in Mars’ extremely thin atmosphere. Ingenuity weighs only 1.8 kilograms on Earth, about 680 grams on Mars, and carries a 1.2 meter rotor span constructed from TeXtreme® carbon fiber and foam core. Its solar-powered lithium-ion batteries store enough energy for a ninety-second flight each Martian day. The electronics box at the base houses the helicopter’s “brain” and is protected and insulated by a TeXtreme® reinforced structure to withstand the cold climate of Mars.