The helicopter had its 55th flight on Aug. 12, in which it reached an altitude of 10 meters and traveled 264 meters for 143 seconds, according to NASA.
The helicopter, named Ingenuity, arrived at Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, attached to the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover. The helicopter is a technology demonstration to test powered flight on another planet for the first time.
The helicopter was designed to fly for up to 90 seconds, to distances of almost 300 meters at a time and about 3 to 4.5 meters from the ground, according to NASA.
The commercial rocket blasted off at 12:03 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the launch site, carrying seven satellites, including the Xiguang-1 01 satellite.
Xiguang-1 01, equipped with hyperspectral, infrared, and panchromatic cameras, will be mainly used for earth observation, serving natural resources, agriculture, forestry, smart city, and disaster reduction.
Also aboard the rocket are an artificial intelligence-enabled remote sensing satellite called WonderJourney-1A, and Starpool I-1B, which is designed for remote sensing, satellite-to-satellite and satellite-to-ground communication, and navigation augmentation.
The launch was the 7th flight mission using the CERES-1 rocket series.
The satellite was launched by a Long March-2C carrier rocket at 6:53 a.m. (Beijing Time) and entered the planned orbit. Its primary users will be the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
The satellite will form an in-orbit network with a similar one launched into space last October, making up a preliminary satellite constellation for emergency management and environment monitoring.
The S-band synthetic aperture radar system aboard the satellite can work on cloudy and rainy days, which effectively overcomes the shortfalls of optical satellites.
Also, the emergency data processing system on the satellite can realize on-board real-time imaging, as well as information extraction and pre-processing for hot-spot areas.
The satellite will provide basic data for disaster relief and also contribute to land resources surveys, water conservancy, agriculture and forestry.
The launch was the 482nd mission to use the Long March rocket series.
The three satellites of the Yaogan-36 family were launched at 04:02 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan and entered the preset orbit.
This mission is the 480th flight of the Long March carrier rockets.
Three of the satellites will be used to obtain remote sensing observation data and provide commercial remote sensing services, while the other satellite will be used for satellite communications technology verification.
This was the 479th flight mission of the Long March rocket series.
At least 135 people were killed and 110 others injured in the disasters triggered by heavy rains last month in the East African country. More than 20,000 people were displaced after 5,963 houses were destroyed.
Clementine Mukanoheri, a mother of two, said it was the second time in five years that the disasters had wrecked her life.
“In March 2018, my two children were rescued from floods in the same village near River Sebeya. I think all the survivors are scared to go back to that same village, and what we want is government support,” she said.
Justine Uwababyeyi, a resident of the Nyundo sector in the Rubavu district, lost her husband and three children when their house collapsed in the heavy rains.
When their house collapsed, Uwababyeyi and her husband heard the children crying for help, but they could not even help themselves under the rubble.
One of her sons escaped unhurt and managed to run out of the house into the pounding rains to call for help. “When the rescue teams arrived, my husband had already passed away,” she said.
The rescue team found the bodies of her husband and three other children under the rubble.
After Uwababyeyi got out of the hospital, local leaders assisted her with shelter and basic items. Her life was miserable as her husband was the family’s sole breadwinner.
John Hakizimana, another resident whose house was also destroyed, recalled the horrifying night. The flooding was too intense after the Sebeya River burst its banks, making it very difficult for people to cross over.
“Escaping from the floods on that fateful night was far from easy. Nobody is considering returning to reside in that unfavorable location,” he said.
Oreste Tuganeyezu, director of Gisenyi Hospital, said many people who survived floods had health issues, but medics have been doing their best to treat them. “We have about 25 mothers who have so far given birth here in the site and are given all the necessary support,” he said.
The hospital offers free medical care for all the displaced people including those without health insurance. Health personnel visit patients at their respective shelters to offer them treatment free of charge.
Meanwhile, at the Gihira settlement site in the Rubavu district, children of flood victims are provided with daycare facilities.
Deogratias Nzabonimpa, acting mayor of Rubavu district, said local authorities are taking action to prevent such catastrophe from affecting residents in the future.
“Several measures have been undertaken such as constructing radical terraces, planting trees and relocating people living in high-risk zones,” said Nzabonimpa. “By putting together all our efforts, we shall overcome issues of flooding and landslides, I believe that positive results will be attained as it has been done in recent years.”
