NASA space copter ready for first Mars flight

In this file NASA photo obtained on March 24, 2021 shows an illustration depicting Mars Helicopter Ingenuity during a test flight on Mars. — by NASA/JPL-CALTECH /AFP

The helicopter that NASA has placed on Mars could make its first flight over the Red Planet within two days after a successful initial test of its rotors, the US space agency said Friday.

The current plan for the first-ever attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet is for the four-pound (1.8kg) helicopter, dubbed the Ingenuity, to take off from Mars' Jezero Crater on Sunday at 10:54 pm US eastern time (0254 GMT Monday) and hover 10 feet (3 meters) above the surface for a half-minute, NASA said.