Without new landers or rovers, it's helicopters or bust for NASA's Mars program

NASA has no confirmed lander or rover missions for Mars, shifting its near-term strategy to aerial drones. The upcoming SkyFall mission will launch three helicopters in late 2028 alongside the SR-1 Freedom spacecraft, which will test nuclear electric propulsion using the repurposed core of the cancelled Gateway station and carries a $2.1 billion budget. The helicopters will build on Ingenuity’s 2021 achievement as the first rotorcraft to fly on another world.