Ingenuity's 63-day silence broken as Mars helicopter phones home

The Ingenuity Mars helicopter has broken its 63-day silence and made contact with its handlers on June 28 via the Perseverance rover. The communication blackout was expected due to the rugged terrain in Jezero Crater, where the rover and helicopter are exploring. The flight data received suggests that Ingenuity remains in good health, and if further checkouts confirm this, it could fly again in the next few weeks. Ingenuity and Perseverance landed on Mars in February 2021, and the helicopter has been serving as a scout for the rover. All communications to and from Ingenuity must go through Perseverance, causing occasional communication dropouts.