Next-gen Mars helicopter to retrieve Red Planet samples: NASA

NASA is designing a new Mars helicopter for the Mars Sample Return campaign, which includes two Mars Sample Recovery Helicopters that will retrieve pre-filled sample tubes and deliver them to a rocket-in-waiting that will then vault those specimens into Mars orbit. The new helicopter will be based on the design of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, with updates needed to support the sample recovery concept of operations, primarily in the guidance and navigation domains. The primary challenge is mass, as there is very little air to work with on Mars.