The Perseverance rover has traveled 45.22 kilometers, setting a record for the distance a vehicle has covered on the surface of another celestial body. This was reported by NASA.
The record was recorded on October 11, on the mission's 2006th Martian day. The previous record belonged to the Opportunity rover, which traveled 45.16 kilometers.
More than 90% of its journey was covered by Perseverance using its AutoNav autonomous navigation system. As it moves, it photographs the terrain, creates a three-dimensional map of obstacles, and chooses a route between points set by specialists on Earth.
The system allows the rover to travel up to 412 meters in a single Martian day. The rover is currently heading towards an area near the western edge of Jezero Crater, where researchers hope to find traces of ancient hydrothermal systems.
NASA has extended the mission until approximately the end of 2028. According to the team's assessment, the functional mobility mechanisms will allow the rover to continue increasing the distance traveled.
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