NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover just shattered the all-time off-world driving record

NASA’s Perseverance rover has shattered a historic space exploration record, traveling farther across another world than any vehicle before it. Its advanced self-driving system helped it surpass Opportunity’s 28.06-mile record in just five and a half years, a feat that previously took nearly 15. Now, Perseverance is exploring some of the oldest rocks in the solar system, searching for clues about ancient Martian environments that may once have supported life.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover just shattered the all-time off-world driving record. On October 11, its odometer reached 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers), surpassing the previous record of 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers) held by NASA’s Opportunity rover, which explored Mars from 2004 to 2018. Even more impressive is how quickly Perseverance accomplished the feat.

Opportunity needed nearly 15 years to cover its record distance, while Perseverance did it in just five and a half years. The milestone came on the rover’s 2,006th Martian day, known as a sol. The record was set as Perseverance made its way toward a location called "Idubi," traveling through an area beyond the western rim of Jezero Crater known as "Lac de Charmes." This region contains what may be some of the oldest terrain ever examined in the solar system.