NASA tests ultra‑light radar antenna for SkyFall Mars helicopters

NASA has completed an initial series of tests on a new ultra‑light, flexible radar antenna that will be carried by the three SkyFall helicopters planned for a future Mars mission. The tests were conducted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s In‑Situ Instrument Laboratory, focusing on the antenna’s ability to survive the harsh conditions of a Martian landing and to unfold correctly for flight.

The antenna, weighing about 150 g and made from a fabric‑based material, can bend on impact and return to its proper shape. It will operate across a 500‑2 500 MHz frequency band, allowing penetration of up to roughly five metres into the regolith to detect shallow subsurface water ice – a resource critical for future human explorers. Each SkyFall helicopter will carry four scientific instruments, with the radar antenna being one of them. Adrian Tang, lead instrument scientist for the ground‑penetrating radar at JPL, said, “The only way to detect near‑surface ice from a distance is to fly low over the ground.”