Perseverance Rover Sets Mars Distance Record of 45.22 Kilometers, Driving Autonomously 90% of the Time

According to IEEE Spectrum, on October 11, 2026, after completing a drive, NASA's Perseverance rover brought its total distance traveled on Mars to 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers), setting a new record for Mars rovers. This achievement is largely due to Perseverance's greater autonomous driving capability compared to its predecessors. Over the past five years, its autonomy software has been steadily upgraded. Mark Maimone, the Perseverance Robotic Operations Deputy Team Chief, said Perseverance drives itself 90% of the time, while Opportunity and Curiosity only used autonomous driving about 5% of the time. Previously, Opportunity drove 45.16 kilometers before stopping in 2019 due to a dust storm. Maimone explained that the autonomy system allows Perseverance to reach speeds of up to 120 meters per hour, but complex terrain still requires human planning. Last year, the team had Anthropic's Claude AI plan a 400-meter drive as a starting point for the day's planning, with humans still reviewing and adjusting. This information comes from the original source and was organized by AI.