Vandi Verma

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Perseverance rover breaks record for longest drive on another world

Leads rover operations as Perseverance climbs Jezero's crater rim

Perseverance set a new off-world driving record on October 11, 2026, when its odometer read 45.22 kilometers. Opportunity needed nearly 15 years to reach 45.16 kilometers. Perseverance took 5.5.

Updated Oct 30

Notable Quotes

The team is using hard-won lessons from 45 kilometers (more than 28 miles) of driving to reinvent how the rover drives across the Martian surface. — NASA blog, October 2026

from Perseverance rover breaks record for longest drive on another world · Updated Oct 30

The rover is thinking about the autonomous drive while its wheels are turning. — 2021 interview, cited in Futurmag

from Perseverance rover breaks record for longest drive on another world · Updated Oct 30