New NASA Rover Crosses 16 Miles in Under Two Days, Dramatically Faster Than Today's Mars Explorers

NASA tested a small rover called ERNEST across 16 miles of desert terrain in 37 hours. It moved more than 10 times faster than rovers currently on Mars—which inch along at about 100 meters per hour. The June 2026 test shows how future missions could cover far more ground. Today's rovers move slowly because they must carefully scan ahead to avoid obstacles, a major limitation for exploration missions.