ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain) demonstrates improved climbing and obstacle-crossing capabilities compared to previous Mars rovers, with its ability to lift individual mesh wheels. During a 2026 field test in California’s Colorado Desert, ERNEST autonomously traversed about 16 miles over 37 hours, achieving speeds roughly ten times faster than Curiosity and Perseverance.
The rover’s autonomy software and hardware refine navigation through extreme sloped terrain and challenging lighting conditions resembling lunar polar shadows. While designed as a testbed for prospective lunar or Martian missions requiring high speed and long distances, these results remain preliminary and have yet to be deployed in operational space missions.
Source & further reading
NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities for Moon, Mars Rovers ↗Source published 2026-06-18. This report was prepared with AI assistance from the linked primary-source material. Claims and limitations should be checked against the original announcement or research.