NASA’s Perseverance rover has completed the equivalent of a full marathon on Mars, reaching 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers) after five years and four months of driving across the Red Planet.

The milestone came on the 1,890th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Perseverance reached the distance considerably faster than NASA’s Opportunity rover, which required 11 years and two months to cover the same ground.

A Tiny Rover Seen From Mars Orbit
One day before Perseverance crossed the marathon mark, NASA captured the rover from high above the Martian surface. In the image, taken on June 13, 2026, the robotic explorer appears as a tiny green speck against the surrounding terrain.

The view came from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which photographed the area using its High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, better known as the HiRISE camera. Faint lines extending across the landscape reveal the tracks left by Perseverance during its journey.

At the time, the rover was traveling through a region west of Jezero Crater that mission scientists have named “Arbot.”