More than a year and a half after its first flight on Mars, the Ingenuity helicopter has set a new record.

The little 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) chopper completed its 35th flight on December 3 and reached a new altitude record of 46 feet (14 meters).

The aerial excursion lasted for 52 seconds and took the helicopter a distance of about 50 feet (15 meters) to reposition it. This was Ingenuity’s first substantial outing since an 18-second hop and hover maneuver on November 22 to test the helicopter after receiving a major software upgrade that could increase the chopper’s life span.

The software will help Ingenuity with hazard avoidance when landing on the rocky Martian surface by generating digital elevation maps as it navigates on future flights.

Ingenuity was initially designed as a technology demonstration that would only pursue five flights on Mars after hitching a ride to the red planet with the Perseverance rover, which has been exploring the Martian landscape since February 2021.