NASA has announced that the Mars helicopter Ingenuity can no longer take off. One or more of its rotor blades are damaged, as NASA was able to see in photos sent to Earth by the robot. How this damage occurred is unknown.

Shadow of the damaged rotor
NASA/JPL Caltech
The Mars helicopter is now standing upright on the surface of Mars. It still sends and receives data to and from Earth. Despite the sudden ending, Ingenuity exceeded all expectations; it is also the first helicopter to fly on another planet. Ingenuity had to cope with nighttime temperatures of -90 degrees.
Since Mars' atmosphere is extremely thin and its density is only around 1 percent of Earth's, the robot's rotors had to rotate extremely quickly to generate enough lift: 2,537 revolutions per minute. The Mars helicopter charges its batteries with solar energy, which it absorbs via its solar panels.
The Mars helicopter landed on the Red Planet in February 2021 on board the Mars rover Perseverance. NASA planned a deployment period of 30 days and five flights for the small, autonomously flying robot. But it turned into three years, the first flight took place on April 19, 2021. Ingenuity flew further and higher, eventually making 72 flights. Ingenuity always maintained contact with Perseverance, which also maintains its connection to Earth. Ingenuity launched for the last time on January 18, 2024, although there was an interruption in connection. The damage probably occurred on this flight. However, NASA was able to reestablish contact.
In this video, NASA announces the end of Ingenuity's flights:
The Mars rover Perseverance, however, continues its work on Mars.
The NASA team says goodbye to Ingenuity in this video: