NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has been seen on Mars for the first time, strapped to the belly of the Perseverance rover, ahead of its first flight next month.

The debris shield, covering the small helicopter, was discarded by Perseverance on Sunday, revealing Ingenuity tucked up and stowed sideways under the vehicle.

It was 'folded up and locked in place,' according to NASA, who said there would be 'some reverse origami' required before it can be deployed to the Martian surface.

Perseverance will now begin its 'couple of days' drive to the designated helipad inside the Jezero crater, where Ingenuity will begin its maiden flight.

NASA says it will launch 'no earlier than the first week of April,' at which point they will have 30 days to make the first launch of a helicopter on another world. 

Before it can track the first flight of an aircraft on the Red Planet, Perseverance needs to 'drop off' Ingenuity in a clear, safe area that will become the first Martian helipad. 

The debris shield was designed to protect the 4lb chopper during the '7 minutes of terror' landing on the Red Planet on more than a month ago February 18, 2021.

Removing the debris shield before making the trip reduces the amount of debris that could cause problems for the helicopter landing back on Mars, says NASA.