NASA’s Perseverance rover completes marathon distance on Mars
7 reported
NASA's Perseverance rover has reached a milestone on Mars by driving the equivalent of a full marathon, 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers), across the Red Planet. The rover achieved this distance on its 1,890th Martian day, or sol, after five years and four months of driving. This pace is less than half the time it took NASA's previous record holder, the Opportunity rover, which needed 11 years and two months to travel the same distance. A new image captured on June 13, 2026, by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) using its HiRISE camera shows the rover as a tiny green speck against the Martian landscape, one day before it officially reached the milestone. The image also reveals the winding tracks Perseverance left behind as it explored the surface. At the time, the rover was operating west of Jezero Crater in a region nicknamed "Arbot" by the mission's science team.
What’s reported
Perseverance drove 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers) on Mars, the equivalent of a full marathon.
The rover reached the distance on its 1,890th Martian day (sol) after five years and four months.
This pace is less than half the time it took NASA's Opportunity rover, which needed 11 years and two months.
A new image captured on June 13, 2026, by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera shows the rover and its tracks.
At the time of the image, the rover was west of Jezero Crater in a region nicknamed "Arbot."
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) oversees operations for Perseverance and MRO.
Lockheed Martin Space built the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter; the University of Arizona operates the HiRISE camera, built by BAE Systems.
Key figures
NASA's Perseverance rover
NASA's Opportunity rover (previous record holder)
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
HiRISE camera
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Caltech
Lockheed Martin Space
University of Arizona
BAE Systems
Sources: ScienceDaily
