GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) helicopter, Ingenuity, completed three successful flights to planet Mars in April, and it has become the first man-made helicopter to soar in the skies of another planet. 

Palestinian electrical engineer Loay Elbasyouni, 42, participated in the helicopter’s design after a journey of perseverance to stand out in the specialization of alternative energy, which he started since he left Gaza to pursue his studies some 23 years ago.

From his house in Los Angeles, California, he told Al-Monitor over Zoom about the historical accomplishment he achieved with the NASA team. He said, “The project of flying in space and above the surface of Mars was an unbelievable dream for the human mind. With NASA, I started designing a helicopter that would fly over Mars in 2014, and we finished the design in 2018. Our first trip was in March.”

NASA announced April 19 that its small robotic helicopter Ingenuity had made its first flight to Mars in a historical step that was delayed for over a week due to a technical problem. The helicopter reached a height of 10 feet before touching down after 39.1 seconds.