Nasa’s Perseverance rover on Mars breaks record for off-planet driving

NASA's Perseverance rover has set a new record for off-planet driving on Mars, covering 28.1 miles (45.2 km) since its arrival on the Red Planet in 2021. The six-wheeled, car-sized rover surpassed the previous record held by NASA's Opportunity rover, which traveled 28.06 miles (45 km) between 2004 and 2018. Perseverance is currently exploring the Jezero Crater, a region believed to have hosted a lake billions of years ago.

The rover's self-driving capability, known as AutoNav, has been instrumental in its success, with 90% of its drives being conducted autonomously. Perseverance's mobility system mechanisms are being tested to determine if it can cover 100 km (62 miles) or more, with hardware to be tested at equivalent distances of 150 km (93 miles) to 300 km (186 miles).

The rover's discovery of a potential biosignature, or sign of ancient microbial life, in a river channel believed to be 3.2 billion to 3.8 billion years old has been its biggest achievement. Perseverance's mission extension until the end of 2028 aims to explore the crater rim, where evidence suggests that warm or hot groundwater once existed, potentially providing a habitable environment for life.