NASA's near-term Mars focus shifts toward helicopter exploration

NASA has no firm plans for new Mars landers or rovers for the first time in more than 30 years, according to Ars Technica's supplied summary. Its near-term Mars focus is instead aerial drones. The summary says three SkyFall helicopters could launch as early as late 2028 with the Space Reactor-1 Freedom mission, whose primary goal is demonstrating nuclear electric propulsion and whose estimated cost is $2.1 billion.