The American space agency plans to launch two more mini-helicopters to the Red Planet. They will help in returning the collected samples to the surface of the planet.
If the Perseverance rover fails, the two helicopters currently under construction will be launched to Mars a little later this decade. They will load samples of the Martian surface onto the rocket instead.
It is noted that the helicopters are built according to the analogue of the Ingenuity rotorcraft, which, by the way, has already made 29 flights since its arrival on the Red Planet. However, new versions of the rotorcraft will be equipped with wheels and robotic arms.
Meanwhile, NASA’s rover has already collected 11 soil samples.