NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has gone incommunicado. The dropout occurred on Thursday (Jan. 18), during Ingenuity’s 72nd Red Planet flight. Data sent during the flight indicates it successfully climbed to its assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet (12 meters), but communications terminated early, prior to touchdown.

Ingenuity and Perseverance landed together in February 2021 on the floor of the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater. Perseverance is hunting for evidence of past Mars life and collecting samples for future return to Earth. Ingenuity is serving as a scout for the car-sized rover, on an extended mission that NASA granted after the little chopper aced its original five-flight technology-demonstrating campaign in the spring of 2021.

Perseverance is currently out of line-of-sight with Ingenuity, but the team could consider driving closer for a visual inspection. The Ingenuity team is analyzing available data and considering next steps to reestablish communications with the helicopter.

Ingenuity has stayed aloft for more than 128 minutes and covered a total of 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) during its 72 Mars flights.