NASA’s Perseverance rover appears as a green speck on the Martian surface on June 13, 2026, a day before the robotic explorer marked a distance milestone, having traveled a full marathon (26.2 miles, or 42.195 kilometers) on the Red Planet. Perseverance reached that distance after five years and four months of driving — on Sol 1890 on Mars of its mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – On June 14, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover achieved a major milestone by traveling a full marathon distance runners trek length across the Red Planet
The 1 ton robotic explorer reached the full marathon distance of 26.2 miles, or 42.195 kilometers) on Sol 1890 of its mission – after five years and four months of driving since touchdown inside the ancient lakebed named Jezero crater on Feb. 18, 2021.
Here is the rovers eye view in a mosaic of raw images assembled by Ken Kremer of Space UpClose.
NASA Perseverance Rover Drives a Full Marathon on Mars. This mosaic shows the Perseverance rovers eye view after driving a full marathon runners distance (26 .2 miles or 42.195 km) on the surface of the Red Planet on 14 June 2026 or Sol 1890 of it mission since landing on 18 Feb. 2021. The mosaic of 4 raw images from the right navcam camera taken by Perseverance was assembled by Ken Kremer of Space UpClose. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
The previous Martian record holder, NASA’s Opportunity rover, took 11 years and two months to reach the same milestone some 10 years ago.
The momentous marathon distance driving occasion was captured in spectacular fashion in a stunning image taken overhead by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) using its powerful High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera while circling the Red Planet.
The 6 wheeled rover’s wheel tracks can be seen tracing the surface in the lead image above – showing a yellow circle around Perseverance
The SUV sized rover is currently exploring in an area west of Jezero Crater that the science team is calling “Arbot.”
Here is an updated route map:
This route map shows the current location of NASA Perseverance Mars rover as of 18 July 2026 or Sol 1971, and the route it has travel since landing in Jezero Crater on Mars on 18 Feb. 2026. Credit NASA. The rover has traveled 27.1 miles or 43.61 km. Just over a marathon distance. Processing: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com
It investigated the crater’s western delta and inlet river valley, Neretva Vallis, before summiting the crater rim in December 2024 following a rim-to-crest climb of 2,620 feet (800 meters).
The high resolution imahges captured by HiRISE help the rover science team decide where to direct Perseverance to gather the best science and sample
To date Perseverance has collected 30 core samples along the marathon drive – out of 38 total samples possible
Ginny & Percy together on Mars! NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter, seen here about 13 feet (3.9 meters) from the rover. This mosaic was taken by the WATSON camera on the rover’s robotic arm on Sol 46, April 6, 2021. Ingenuity rests between wheel track with view to Jezero Crater horizon. This Sol 46 mosaic is comprised of over 50 WATSON camera raw images and was stitched by Ken Kremer for Space UpClose. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Ken Kremer/Space UpClose
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news. Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics. Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events.
JETTY PARK BEACH/PORT CANAVERAL, FL – SpaceX achieved a record setting launch of two Falcon 9 rockets just 38.5 minutes apart on Saturday night, Aug. 15 with a pair of bicoastal orbital deliveries for Globalstar and the US Space Force from company launch pads in Florida and California. The record setting launch cadence began with a stunning Saturday evening launch
NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER – SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY – NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told me that he is “extremely confident” that NASA’s Artemis III mission will launch next year in 2027 where NASA’s Orion crewed spacecraft is scheduled to dock with both of the commercial human lunar landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin – under contract to NASA.
