NASA backs solar-powered eVTOL that can explore the entire surface of mars

NASA supports the creation of MAGGIE

NASA backs the creation of CoFlow Jet’s MAGGIE (Mars Aerial and Ground Intelligent Explorer), a solar-powered eVTOL that can be used to explore nearly the entire surface of Mars for research and studies. MAGGIE forms part of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program (more about this below) which aims to foster and fund technology and transform these concept studies into real products with potential commercialization.

MAGGIE is expected to employ the advanced deflected slipstream technology of CoFlow Jet – the author of the project – which involves directing the airflow to enhance the performance and efficiency of the solar-powered eVTOL. NASA’s support to MAGGIE sees the production of the aircraft that may be used to conduct three atmospheric and geophysical investigations, all supporting different timescales of the Dynamic Mars science theme.

As CoFlow Jet founder Dr. Ge-Cheng Zha says, these studies delve into different aspects of Mars’ geology, atmosphere, and subsurface to learn more about its history, the possibility of past or present life, and the distribution of resources like water ice. The design team shares that while their study on the conceptual solar-powered eVTOL to take on the Mars exploration mission is feasible, they still need to further investigate, design, and verify the aircraft when exposed and under Martian atmospheric conditions during its Phase I.

images courtesy of CoFlow Jet and Ge-Cheng Zha

Coflow jet’s solar-powered eVTOL can explore mars’ surface

Looking at its design, the lengthy NASA-backed solar-powered eVTOL MAGGIE may be fully covered in solar panels all over its surface. Its wings are seemingly L-shaped, still carpeted with solar panels to continue the aircraft’s green energy production, enough to power and fly it up to Mars. 14 exposed rotors can give it the necessary boost to soar too. For specs buffs, CoFlow Jet says that its NASA-backed solar-powered eVTOL MAGGIE is expected to cruise at a speed of 0.25 Mach number and a lift coefficient of 3.5 during cruising, which can help the aircraft to fly in atmospheres with lower density like Mars.

Over a Martian year, MAGGIE can cover a total distance of 16,048 kilometers with a fully charged battery and at an altitude of 1,000 meters (about 3,280 feet) above the Martian surface. Once it is production-ready, CoFlow Jet says that its NASA-backed solar-powered eVTOL is ‘the first concept to enable ongoing exploration of Mars and would provide a substantial leap in capability for NASA’s exploration of the Red Planet. MAGGIE would be similarly engaging to the public, both in its audacity, and in the variety of environments it could explore, study, and image.’

CoFlow Jet’s MAGGIE, the NASA-backed solar-powered eVTOL backed by NASA, is for exploring Mars’ surface

NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program

For its 2024 Phase 1, NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) awarded 13 concepts chosen stem from companies and institutions across the United States a maximum of 175,000 USD in grants to evaluate their conceptual technologies that could be turned into real devices, products, and developments for space missions like Mars exploration.

Along with MAGGIE, NASA selected a swarm of tiny spacecraft that could travel to Proxima Centauri and send back data about the Sun’s nearest interstellar neighbor using a novel laser sailcraft and laser communications, and another spacecraft that can survive Venus’ harsh atmosphere and return a sample from its surface for research and studies using high-temperature technology and solar aircraft.

these studies delve into different aspects of Mars’ geology