The Ingenuity helicopter has temporarily ceased operations. The region of Mars in which it is operating recently entered the dust and winter season, meaning there is less sunlight reaching the surface to recharge Ingenuity’s batteries.

Dust levels are expected to reduce in late July, so the team controlling the machine will give its batteries a break for a few weeks to build up charge. Weather-permitting, Ingenuity will once again take to the skies in August.

In April 2021 Ingenuity became the first aircraft to conduct a powered and controlled flight on another planet. Flight in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere is challenging, but this proof of concept could pave the way for future missions that will allow more efficient exploration of the planet than slow-moving rovers. It had made 29 successful flights as of 11 June 2022.