For the first time in history, the Curiosity rover on Mars has been spotted midway through its journey from orbit – a speck of human presence on an otherwise barren and gray landscape.
In the image, taken on February 28, 2025 (Sol 4,466 – a leap day on Earth!), Curiosity is depicted as a tiny dark spot at the end of the rover’s footprint, which extends 1,050 feet (320 meters) across the Martian surface. It’s the orbital equivalent of a candid camera, thanks to the HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
While the HiRISE camera has captured images of Curiosity before, this is the first time we’ve seen it as it makes its 69-foot (21-meter) run – a fact confirmed by comparing the timestamps to the rover’s command logs. Curiosity’s top speed: A blistering 0.1 miles per hour (0.16 kilometers per hour). No, it won’t win any races – at least not compared to cars on Earth – but the rover is stable, enduring, and not bothered by the lack of gas stations.
The footprints, carved into the Martian soil in 11 separate passes made since February 2, were dug as Curiosity moved from the Gediz Valles Canal to its next science goal: a rocky area that may contain boxy formations possibly formed by groundwater in the planet’s ancient past.
The new image shows the rover at the foot of the steep slope it climbed on its way to this rocky area. How long it will take Curiosity to arrive depends on the terrain, the rover’s navigation software, and the regularly updated plans of NASA engineers who operate the rover and work with scientists to prioritize targets.
Interestingly, HiRISE usually takes pictures with a color bar in the center, but this time Curiosity landed in the black and white area of the camera. So, unfortunately, we didn’t get a full-color Martian shot – but it’s still stunning. A lone speck hurtling down an alien slope, caught red-handed from more than 150 miles (241 km) above our heads.
