Watch: Nasa's Mars helicopter makes 4th flight, gets extra month of flying AP/Cape Canaveral Filed on May 1, 2021 | Last updated on May 1, 2021 at 07.27 am The helicopter team at Nasa expects to chalk up a sixth and seven flight in May. Nasa’s little Mars helicopter has gotten a reprieve. Instead of wrapping up flight tests at the beginning of May, Nasa is giving its Ingenuity helicopter at least an extra month to tackle tough new terrain and serve as a scout for its companion rover, Perseverance. Officials announced the flight extension on Friday, following three short flights in under two weeks for the $85 million tech demo.