Smarter Parachutes Tested for Mars Landings

NASA is taking parachute tech to new heights! As part of their mission to make Mars landings safer and smarter, researchers are testing innovative sensors and bonding techniques on supersonic parachutes using drones. In a project dubbed Enhancing Parachutes by Instrumenting the Canopy, the team completed five successful test flights on June 4, 2025, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California—bringing us one step closer to smoother landings on the Red Planet.