An interesting aircraft concept has emerged that can detect the presence of water in the upper layers of the Martian atmosphere. The new vehicle, called MAGGIE (Mars Aero-Ground Intelligent Explorer), has received its first funding from NASA and is on track to complete its mission.

There is currently no timeline for MAGGIE’s first flight, but the experience of the Ingenuity helicopter, which supports its partner Perseverance rover in its search for ancient water and life on the Red Planet, is already paying off. Given the success of Ingenuity, it is hoped that in the future MAGGIE will follow suit and begin studying the Martian atmosphere.

MAGGIE is a solar-powered aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capability. It can fly up to 179 kilometers on a single charge and travel approximately 16,048 kilometers in a Martian year; This corresponds to approximately 24 months by world standards.

MAGGIE will focus on three investigations 1,000 meters above the Martian surface: detecting water, gaining a deeper understanding of the origin of Mars’ weak magnetic field, and searching for signals of elusive methane, depending on its source. It could be a sign of life.

Still, the MAGGIE concept is in the early stages of development, and Coflow Jet, LLC’s principal investigator Ge-Cheng Zha notes that further research is needed “under Martian atmospheric conditions,” which are different from Earth conditions.

Funding from NASA for the first phase of Maggie’s development allows work to continue on the aircraft concept, and Zha says it could be an important tool for future large-scale exploration of Mars.

“MAGGIE has the potential to revolutionize our ability to explore nearly the entire surface of Mars,” says Zha, highlighting its ability to image in a variety of environments.

MAGGIE funding under the NIAC program does not provide an exact date for the first flight, but the emergence of other instruments in development gives hope for missions to Mars in the near future. For example, in the Mars sample return mission planned for the 2030s, two interceptor helicopters could be used in case the Perseverance rover is unable to deliver samples to the return vehicle.