On 11 October 2026, NASA's Perseverance rover became the record holder for the longest distance driven on another world, covering 45.22 km (28.10 miles) on Mars and edging past the 45.16 km logged by NASA's Opportunity rover. The milestone came on its 2,006th sol, roughly 5.5 years into the mission. Its AutoNav (Autonomous Navigation) system, which maps hazards and picks routes on its own, handled over 90% of the driving. Perseverance has gathered 29 rock and regolith samples and is studying old terrain at Lac de Charmes and Idubi for signs of ancient hydrothermal systems. Its extended mission runs to about 2028, heading towards Rainbow Falls.