Key Facts:The Mars helicopter Ingenuity was conceived in 2014 at JPL, initially facing scepticism due to Mars’ thin atmosphere but successfully achieved first flight in April 2021Ingenuity was designed with strict constraints: under 2kg weight, off-the-shelf components, and capability to withstand -60°C temperatures with self-piloting softwareThe successful 39.1-second hover on Mars represented a breakthrough in extraterrestrial aviationSimilar breakthroughs in drone technology are now being applied in Australian mining operations, where conditions can be Mars-like with extreme temperatures and high UV exposureRemote drone operations through the xBot® system allow for mine surveys, stockpile monitoring, and high-resolution imagery collection, all controlled from off-site locations

In 2014, deep inside a JPL conference room littered with half-finished sketches and cold pizza boxes, an engineer blurted out the ridiculous: “What if we could fly on Mars?”Silence. Then eye-rolls. The Perseverance rover already stretched budgets and physics. Now these dreamers wanted to strap on a drone and ask it to spin rotors in air 1% as thick as Earth’s? Absurd. But the misfits refused to let “no” be the final word. They christened their hopeful contraption Ingenuity – and set about proving everyone wrong.Conditions were brutal, including a weight limit under 2kg (because every extra gram stole science instruments from Perseverance). A parts list of off-the-shelf components only – think smartphone chips and hobby-grade batteries and a mission quota of five short test hops, then retirement.They also had to design heaters to survive -60 °C nights, blades that could spin faster than any terrestrial helicopter, and software that could pilot itself 55 million km away – with no joystick, no reboot, no second chances. Senior managers called it a “cute demo.” Translation: nice to have, totally expendable.Fast forward to April 19, 2021. Jezero Crater dawned rosy and still. Ingenuity spun up, fought the thin air – and rose. All 1.8 kg of aluminum, carbon-fiber, and audacity hovered for 39.1 glorious seconds. In mission control, engineers wept, whooped, and hugged through masks. The rover wasn’t the headline anymore; the “afterthought” had stolen the spotlight.

Back on the most liveable planet around and drone innovation is taking on a new mission of its own – albeit a little more “down-to-earth”.

In the Australian Outback there are many days where conditions may be considered close to Mars-like, with temperatures in the extreme and UV among the highest in the world. The craters may be mine pits, but the red dust is eerily similar and equally sobering.

With the advent of innovations such as the xBot® and remote drone operations however, removing humans from these conditions is now the Earth equivalent of a Mars Mission.

Queue the remote ops centre where “mission control” leads every flight from an air-conditioned, sound-proof office and the drones take flight hundreds of kilometres away.

The Mission? Data Collection. Improved Safety. Efficiency. All from the comfort of an office in Perth.

The applications are vast and include, but are not limited to: 

Daily open pit surveys for conformance, blast planning, and volumetricsStockpile surveys for inventory trackingDaily high-resolution imagery and video for remote site visibilityLive-stream capabilities for off-site management and planning teamsEmergency response and management

The integration of these services can generate significant operational efficiencies, improving data turnaround times, and enabling informed decision-making from remote locations.

Clearly, Ingenuity is no longer bound to Mars.

Note to journalists – Live demonstrations of these operations are available at our Perth centre, please contact us to book a session. 

This Press Release was also published on VRITIMES