Overview
- JPL flew three research drones over Mars Hill and Mesquite Flats in April and September, with additional runs at the Mojave’s Dumont Dunes.
- The team secured only the third-ever permit to fly research drones in Death Valley and worked in temperatures reaching 113°F (45°C).
- Testing produced concrete gains, including specific camera filters that enhance ground tracking and new software that guides safer landings in cluttered terrain.
- The effort advances next‑generation rotorcraft flight software funded as one of 25 Mars technologies in this year’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio.
- Parallel campaigns progressed other platforms, including the LASSIE‑M legged scout at White Sands and a half‑scale MERF glider under test at NASA Langley.