NASA's Mars helicopter completes 55 flights on Mars

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- NASA's Mars helicopter has completed 55 flights on the Red Planet, the agency said on Wednesday.

The helicopter had its 55th flight on Aug. 12, in which it reached an altitude of 10 meters and traveled 264 meters for 143 seconds, according to NASA.

The helicopter, named Ingenuity, arrived at Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, attached to the belly of NASA's Perseverance rover. The helicopter is a technology demonstration to test powered flight on another planet for the first time.

The helicopter was designed to fly for up to 90 seconds, to distances of almost 300 meters at a time and about 3 to 4.5 meters from the ground, according to NASA.