On June 14, 2026, NASA’s Perseverance rover surpassed a total distance of 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers): marking a marathon of exploration on the surface of Mars. It crossed the milestone while exploring intriguing, ancient terrain to the west of Jezero Crater.
Perseverance is only the second explorer to travel this distance on another world: NASA's Opportunity rover accomplished the feat on the Red Planet in 2015.
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
On May 15, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft let physics do the work - slingshotting past Mars to pick-up a 1,000 mph boost.
The Deep Space Network tracked every Doppler shift in real time - and while the spacecraft was there, its cameras captured something rare: Mars as a glowing crescent, plus the highest-resolution Psyche view yet of the planet’s icy south polar cap.
Next stop: the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, arriving summer 2029.
Image: NASA
‘Project Hail Mary’ actors Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, screenwriter Drew Goddard, writer Andy Weir, and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren visited NASA JPL for a conversation about exploration, collaboration, and real-life human spaceflight.
The visit included time inside JPL’s Mission Control to learn about the Deep Space Network, NASA’s global array of radio antennas used to communicate with spacecraft at the Moon and beyond.
Thank you to the teams across NASA, JPL, and an unforgettable panel who brought inspiration to the moment.
📸: NASA
For the first time since 1972, NASA is sending astronauts to the Moon.
During Artemis II, voice, images, video, and vital mission data will travel thousands of miles - carried on signals from NASA’s Near Space Network and Deep Space Network.
Here’s how NASA’s global communications systems, and teams around the world, will keep the mission connected during this historic milestone in human spaceflight.
📸: The DSN Now tool displays real-time data at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California during the Artemis I launch on November 16, 2022. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
📸: Orbital sunrise via the International Space Station. Credit: NASA