Nasa's Perseverance rover smashes the interplanetary driving record on Mars after just 5.5 years on the Red Planet

Nasa's Perseverance rover clocked 28.10 miles (45.22 km) on Mars on 11 October, surpassing the distance record that Opportunity had taken nearly 15 years to accumulate. Project manager Steven Lee confirmed all systems remain in excellent shape and are expected to operate well into the 2030s. The milestone coincided with Perseverance's exploration of Lac de Charmes, a region scientists regard as among the most ancient terrain in the solar system.

Perseverance originally had a design limit of around 20 km of driving but has already more than doubled that, with engineers aiming for 100 km total.

Over 90% of Perseverance's drives are completed autonomously using its AutoNav system, which maps terrain in real time while moving at top speed.

The rover is now heading toward Idubi, where scientists hope evidence of ancient hydrothermal systems may shed light on whether Mars once harboured microbial life.