Martian drone Ingenuity reaches record altitude on its 35th flight

The Ingenuity drone was able to set an altitude record during its final takeoff over the surface of the Red Planet.

Here's What We Know

Ingenuity landed on Mars nearly two years ago. Now every flight it makes is a record-breaking flight. Late last week, the unmanned helicopter flew over the surface of the solar system's fourth planet for the 35th time, though only five flights were originally planned.

The Martian drone reached an altitude of 14 meters. The previous record was 12 meters. The helicopter stayed above the surface of Mars for 52 seconds. In all that time, it managed to fly for just under 60 minutes.

The December 3 flight was Ingenuity's second since receiving a software update. The update lasted a few weeks and brought new features. For example, accounting for dangers during landing and using maps for navigation.

Source: space