Trending

Perseverance rover sets record for the longest drive on another world at 45.22 km

By /

NASA’s Perseverance rover has set a new record for the farthest distance driven on another celestial body, reaching 45.22 km (28.10 miles) on its odometer on Sol 2006, or 11 October 2026, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a mission blog on 21 October.

Perseverance rover: Wheel tracks from the record-setting drive, seen by the left navigation camera on Sol 2006
Wheel tracks from the record-setting drive, seen by the left navigation camera on Sol 2006 Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech (public domain).

How the Perseverance rover passed the mark

About two months earlier, on Sol 1947, the rover was roughly 200 metres short of the milestone, a distance it could have covered in a single drive using AutoNav, its autonomous navigation system, wrote Vandi Verma, JPL’s chief engineer for robotic operations. But Perseverance was in a scientifically interesting area and spent time on short drives to grind into and study ancient rock outcrops. When it moved on, it sailed past the record. Its engineering twin on Earth even received a plaque from Guinness World Records. NASA released a navigation camera image of the wheel tracks from the record-setting drive. A sol is a Martian day, about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. Engineers use the twin at JPL to try out drives and software on Earth.

Key Facts

  • Record distance: 45.22 km (28.10 miles)
  • Reached: Sol 2006, 11 October 2026
  • Tilt limit raised to: 24 degrees
  • Belly clearance needed: 20 cm
  • Recognition: Guinness World Records plaque

New driving rules on Mars

Boulder fields and steep slopes pushed the team to rethink driving rules. After thousands of simulations, they raised the rover’s tilt limit to 24 degrees and cut the clearance needed under its belly pan to 20 cm, Verma wrote. They also updated braking software to avoid rock hazards, nearly doubled steering motor current limits, added “dynamic slip tables” to model expected wheel slip, and used cross-slope driving to anchor the wheels on bedrock. These changes help the rover handle tough ground safely.

Global localization: GPS without GPS

The biggest change is onboard Global Localization, which reuses the commercial processor in the Ingenuity helicopter’s base station on the rover to compare ground and orbital images and work out the rover’s position at the end of a drive “as though we had GPS on a world without it”. That lets Perseverance drive further without waiting for people on Earth. The processor is not radiation-hardened, so the team built a software method to cope with radiation-induced bit flips. The team is also looking at new tools to help plan the many legs of AutoNav routes as the rover climbs higher along the crater rim. Verma wrote that lessons from more than 45 km of driving are being used to reinvent how the rover moves across Mars. Mars has a thin atmosphere and no global magnetic field, so there is little shielding from radiation at the surface, NASA said.

Why It Matters: Longer autonomous drives let a rover cover more ground with fewer commands from Earth, a skill future Mars and Moon missions will depend on.

Also on TrendDesh: Mars helicopter blades redesigned by NASA could stretch single flights from 0.7 km to 18.7 km · Curiosity rover photographs Martian dawn over wind-carved yardang cliffs on Mount Sharp

Source: NASA Mars blog, 21 Oct 2026 · NASA: Perseverance rover · NASA JPL

Share

Today’s News 22 Oct 2026 · 19 stories

  1. IBSAMAR IX ends at Simon’s Town as India, Brazil and South Africa navies wrap up 10 days of drills1IBSAMAR IX ends at Simon’s Town as India, Brazil and South Africa navies wrap up 10 days of drillsOct 22, 2026
  2. Lalit Kala Akademi awards: President Murmu honours artists of 65th National Exhibition of Art2Lalit Kala Akademi awards: President Murmu honours artists of 65th National Exhibition of ArtOct 22, 2026
  3. Urban Challenge Fund: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai asks cities to prepare bankable projects3Urban Challenge Fund: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai asks cities to prepare bankable projectsOct 22, 2026
  4. Police Commemoration Day 2026: Amit Shah honours fallen personnel, says India is free of Naxalism4Police Commemoration Day 2026: Amit Shah honours fallen personnel, says India is free of NaxalismOct 22, 2026
  5. Khet Bachao Abhiyan Rabi 2026 starts today: what the farm campaign will cover until 30 November5Khet Bachao Abhiyan Rabi 2026 starts today: what the farm campaign will cover until 30 NovemberOct 22, 2026
  6. Leveraging FTAs: Gujarat workshop shows MSMEs how to use India’s trade deals to export more6Leveraging FTAs: Gujarat workshop shows MSMEs how to use India’s trade deals to export moreOct 22, 2026
  7. Vote Baraat in Bikaner: a 630-metre turban and a mock wedding procession urge villagers to vote7Vote Baraat in Bikaner: a 630-metre turban and a mock wedding procession urge villagers to voteOct 22, 2026
  8. Rajasthan Police honours fallen personnel as anti-drug bike rally reaches Jaipur8Rajasthan Police honours fallen personnel as anti-drug bike rally reaches JaipurOct 22, 2026
  9. Ebola in Nigeria: WHO steps in after first Bundibugyo case confirmed in Abuja9Ebola in Nigeria: WHO steps in after first Bundibugyo case confirmed in AbujaOct 22, 2026
  10. Poshan Maah 2026: Rajasthan ranks second in India with 113.66% of target achieved10Poshan Maah 2026: Rajasthan ranks second in India with 113.66% of target achievedOct 22, 2026
  11. El Nino could be off the charts, WMO warns, as UN releases million to protect the most vulnerable11El Nino could be off the charts, WMO warns, as UN releases $50 million to protect the most vulnerableOct 22, 2026
  12. Chambal illegal mining: Chief Secretary orders digital watch on 40 sensitive spots and chargesheets12Chambal illegal mining: Chief Secretary orders digital watch on 40 sensitive spots and chargesheetsOct 22, 2026
  13. Sudan peace talks resume in Geneva as envoy seeks de-escalation in a ‘drone war’13Sudan peace talks resume in Geneva as envoy seeks de-escalation in a ‘drone war’Oct 22, 2026
  14. JPL 90 years: NASA lab marks anniversary with SkyFall, MoonFall and NISAR on its slate14JPL 90 years: NASA lab marks anniversary with SkyFall, MoonFall and NISAR on its slateOct 22, 2026
  15. Iceland storm: NASA image shows Hurricane Isaias remnants turn into a powerful cyclone15Iceland storm: NASA image shows Hurricane Isaias remnants turn into a powerful cycloneOct 22, 2026
  16. CASALS lidar: NASA instrument maps Earth in continuous 3D swaths instead of thin lines16CASALS lidar: NASA instrument maps Earth in continuous 3D swaths instead of thin linesOct 22, 2026
  17. Samarkand summit on child wellbeing opens as Guterres says investing in children is investing in the future17Samarkand summit on child wellbeing opens as Guterres says investing in children is investing in the futureOct 22, 2026
  18. RS-25 engine fired for 500 seconds at NASA Stennis to test new heat shield for Artemis rockets18RS-25 engine fired for 500 seconds at NASA Stennis to test new heat shield for Artemis rocketsOct 22, 2026
  19. Perseverance rover sets record for the longest drive on another world at 45.22 km19Perseverance rover sets record for the longest drive on another world at 45.22 kmOct 22, 2026 · Reading now

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top