In A First Of A Kind Image, Mars Orbiter Captures Curiosity Rover Mid-Drive On The Red Planet

For the first time in history, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), a HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment), captures a never-before-seen Curiosity rover mid-drive across Mars' huge Gale Crater, on 28 February 2025.

The MRO has previously spotted Curiosity in selfies and images taken from space, but didn't have the luck to snap the car-sized rover, which is believed to have always been stationary.

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In a statement on April 24, NASA officials stated, “Curiosity was captured in what is believed to be the first orbital image of the rover mid-drive across the Red Planet."

A dark speck at the front of the 1,050 feet tracks

The Curiosity rover appears as a dark speck at the front of a long trail of rover tracks, as captured by the HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

According to NASA, the rover tracks span about 320 meters, which is about 1,050 feet, and could have lasted for a month before being erased by wind.

“By comparing the time HiRISE took the image to the rover’s commands for the day, we can see it was nearly done with a 69-foot drive,” said Doug Ellison, Curiosity’s planning team chief at JPL.

About HiRISE camera

The HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captures most of the scene in black and white, with a strip of colour down the middle.

NASA clarifies that although the camera has previously captured Curiosity in colour, “this time, the rover happened to fall within the black-and-white part of the image.”

“In the new image, Curiosity’s tracks lead to the base of a steep slope. The rover has since ascended that slope and is expected to reach its new science location within a month or so,” states NASA.