Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Overview

Nature and mission

Perseverance is the rover of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. It explores the Martian surface and collects rock cores for storage alongside regolith samples, for possible future study on Earth. NASA’s Mars Exploration Program page lists the mission as 2020–present, but the supplied evidence does not provide a dated assessment of the rover’s current operational condition.

Design and functions

The vehicle is based on the Curiosity rover configuration, with additional science and technology instruments. Unlike Curiosity, which studies samples in its onboard laboratory, Perseverance can drill rock cores and store them in tubes. Its robotic arm carries a coring drill and inspection tools; six wheels and a rocker-bogie suspension support travel across Martian terrain.

Verifiable details

NASA gives its mass as 1,025 kg and its approximate dimensions as 3 m long, 2.7 m wide, and 2.2 m high. The source also states that its top speed on flat, hard ground is just under 0.1 miles per hour. These details come from NASA’s rover-components page, consulted on 26 October 2026; the page does not state a publication date.

Sources and limits

Mission objectives and sample collection are documented on NASA’s Mars Exploration Program and Perseverance mission pages; design and specifications come from NASA’s rover-components page. The samples are intended for possible future return: the supplied sources do not say that they have already been brought to Earth.

Sources and references