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SkyFall Landing Site Workshops

Science-focused workshops to identify potential landing sites and adjacent exploration zones of high scientific value. 

Three drone helicopters fly over a barren, reddish-brown rocky landscape. The foreground drone and two smaller drones in the background all project wavy, translucent red and green beams of light downward onto the rugged terrain below.

learn more about skyfall

Artist's concept of two SkyFall robotic helicopters flying in tandem over a rugged Martian landscape. In the upper left foreground, the primary helicopter is shown in mid-flight with its dual coaxial rotors spinning, while a second, identical helicopter trails slightly behind it in the distance. Both spacecraft are projecting pale, translucent, cone-shaped sensor beams downward, representing scans with their their ground penetrating radar on the reddish-brown rocky ridges and sandy dunes below. The background features distant crater rims and mountains under a hazy, pale orange sky, accented by a prominent diagonal string of hexagonal pink and purple lens flares.

SkyFall FAQs

Quick answers to your SkyFall questions,

Artist's concept of a spacecraft descending toward a vast, reddish-brown Martian landscape characterized by sandy dunes and rocky hills. The spacecraft features a large, white, cone-shaped backshell at the top. Suspended directly beneath the backshell is an exposed, geometric metal truss structure. Securely attached to the outer arms of this central framework are three small SkyFall robotic helicopters. The helicopters are stowed with their landing legs extended but their rotor blades completely stationary, awaiting release.

SkyFall Mission Page

Learn more about the SkyFall mission.

Artist's concept of a spacecraft descending through a dark, reddish-brown Martian atmosphere. At the top, a large, fully deployed parachute suspends a circular entry vehicle or backshell viewed from below. The interior of the backshell reveals complex mechanical components and a central truss structure. Surrounding the descending spacecraft, three small SkyFall robotic helicopters are shown in mid-flight with their blades spinning rapidly, having just deployed and dispersed to the left, bottom, and upper right. A prominent, thin horizontal blue lens flare streaks across the center of the scene.

SkyFall Mission Information Package

Additional information about the LSW.

NASA’s Space Reactor-1 Freedom mission concept flight path illustrates the spacecraft’s journey to Mars, including launch, reactor startup, multiple Mars flybys, and deployment of the SkyFall payload during the mission.

SR-1 Freedom

The fission-powered spacecraft delivering SkyFall to Mars.

First Landing Site Workshop for the SkyFall Mission

February 9-10, 2027, Virtual

The First Landing Site Workshop (LSW) for the SkyFall mission to Mars will be held virtually, Feb. 9-10, 2027, and will be the first of two science-focused workshops to identify potential landing sites and adjacent exploration zones of high scientific value that satisfy the engineering constraints imposed by the project and spacecraft design. 

Given the rapid development cadence of the SkyFall mission, the LSW process will necessarily be abbreviated compared to those of prior missions, though the Mars Exploration Program and SkyFall project are committed to using the available time and resources to maximize science value in the selection of landing site.

The expected outcome of the First LSW will be a ranked list of potential landing sites that will be studied in more detail by the SkyFall project and science community, prior to the Second Landing Site Workshop to be held later in 2027.  The project will assess the engineering safety of proposed sites, while community consensus will be solicited regarding potential science value and notional flight trajectories of individual landing sites given the capabilities and payload of the SkyFall helicopters.

Prior to the First Landing Site Workshop, individuals and self-organized groups are encouraged to identify potential landing sites for preliminary assessment by the SkyFall team.  Information on how to submit potential sites may be found in the SkyFall Mission Information Package.  Individuals/teams that propose a site that satisfies engineering constraints and demonstrates promising science value will be invited to present their site at the First LSW.  For sites that do not meet these constraints, individuals/teams will be notified prior to the LSW.

Additional information about the SkyFall payload, surface mission, payload, and engineering constraints on the mission may be found in the SkyFall Mission Information Package.

For More, See the SkyFall Mission Information Package

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