Feasibility of Earth-Based Testing for Mars Rotorcraft Dynamics

Capability Need/Knowledge Gap: Existing methods and testing facilities to perform flight testing/V&V are insufficient for next-gen Mars rotorcraft which have >15x mass of Ingenuity. Performing sub-scale vehicle testing in Earth’s atmosphere conditions, while replicating on[1]planet flight dynamics, remains unexplored. Goal: Mature sub-scale vehicle testing in Earth's atmosphere conditions to enable fast, cost[1]effective flight dynamics V&V of large planetary rotorcraft

Deliverables: The proposed work seeks to validate the use of scaled vehicle testing across atmospheric flight conditions to reduce the cost and complexity of flight dynamics V&V for large planetary rotorcraft concepts. Key milestones: (1) January 2026 – Earth analog trade study completed, Motor/ESC subsystem checkouts, (2) April 2026 – Earth-based analog Conceptual Design Review, Mid-Term Review, (3) May 2026 – Flight Readiness Review for COTS vehicle. (4) June 2026 – COTS vehicle system identification flight test in hover

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