NASA’s Perseverance rover breaks Mars driving record, covering 28.1 miles in five years

Perseverance rover pathPhoto credit: Screenshot from JPLraw NASA’s Perseverance rover has set a new record for distance travelled on the surface of another planet. On October 11, 2026, after five and a half years on Mars, the six-wheeled rover’s odometer reached 28.10 miles, or 45.22 kilometres, surpassing the 28.06-mile record set by NASA’s Opportunity rover over nearly 15 years of exploration. According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Perseverance achieved the milestone on the 2,006th Martian day, or sol, of its mission.The achievement is more than a numerical landmark. It reflects how far robotic exploration has advanced since NASA’s earliest Mars rovers, and it gives scientists faster access to the varied geology of Jezero Crater and its ancient surroundings. Perseverance is now operating beyond the original mission plan, with NASA approving an extended mission that will carry its crater-rim exploration through roughly the end of 2028, as per the report.A record set in half the timeNasa’s Perseverance Mars rover is seen in a "selfie" that it took over a rock nicknamed "Rochette" (Nasa)Opportunity held the previous off-world driving record for years. The rover landed on Mar...