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extended mission

Curiosity rover (Mars Science Laboratory)

NASA · Mars (Gale Crater)

Exploring Gale Crater since 2012 and still active, with 42 drilled samples and organic molecules never seen before on Mars.

Curiosity's self-portrait at Rocknest in Gale Crater, restyled with a deep-space sky.
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, restyled

At a glance

Phase
extended mission
Operator
NASA
Destination
Mars (Gale Crater)
Last verified
27 September 2026

Where it stands

Active in Gale Crater 14 years after landing; NASA marked the rover's 5,000th sol on 30 August 2026 at a sand ridge nicknamed Chocolatal, four days after it logged 1 km of elevation gain on its climb from Gale Crater up Mount Sharp on 26 August. On 29 July 2026 NASA reported an unusually large field of honeycomb-like polygonal fractures, 4 to 8 cm across, likely ancient mud cracks (distinct from the earlier boxwork find), found while climbing Valle Grande.

The mission

Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater since landing on 6 August 2012 and NASA still lists it as an active mission. It has collected 42 powderised rock samples with the drill on its robotic arm and recently found organic molecules never seen before on Mars. NASA reported that on 26 August 2026 the rover reached 1 km of elevation gain on its climb from Gale Crater up Mount Sharp, the highest point of its mission so far, and marked its 5,000th Martian day on 30 August 2026 with a two-panorama postcard from a sand ridge in the foothills of Mount Sharp.

Related

Missions deskMars deskThe launch deskSpace data

Sources

  • science.nasa.gov · https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity/
  • science.nasa.gov · https://science.nasa.gov/mars/stories/
  • science.nasa.gov · https://science.nasa.gov/mars/curiosity-reaches-1-kilometer-elevation-gain/
  • science.nasa.gov · https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/curiosity-postcard-celebrates-rovers-5000th-day-on-mars/