For the first time, the Curiosity rover on Mars has been captured mid-drive by orbital imagery, appearing as a small point of human technology on the otherwise desolate Martian surface. The image, taken on February 28, 2025 (Sol 4,466, coinciding with a leap day on Earth), shows Curiosity as a tiny dark spot at the end of a trail made by its tracks, extending approximately 1,050 feet (320 meters) across the planet’s terrain. This image was captured by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, providing an unpremeditated view from space.
While HiRISE has previously photographed Curiosity, this marks the first instance of the rover being seen in motion. It was documented in the midst of completing a 69-foot (21-meter) drive. This fact was verified by correlating the timestamps from the image with the rover’s command logs. Curiosity, which moves at a top speed of 0.1 mph (0.16 kilometers per hour), prioritizes reliability over speed in its operations on Mars, unimpeded by the need for fuel like Earth-based vehicles.
The rover’s tracks, which have been imprinted into the Martian soil over 11 separate drives since February 2, indicate its journey from the Gediz Vallis channel toward a new scientific target. This target is a rocky region hypothesized to contain boxwork formations that may have been influenced by ancient groundwater activity.
The newly released image illustrates Curiosity at the base of a steep incline, which it has since climbed as it continues toward its rocky destination. The time required for the rover to reach its objective will depend on future terrain conditions, the capabilities of its navigation software, and the ongoing mission plans devised by NASA engineers and scientists to steer and prioritize research goals.
Typically, HiRISE images include a central strip of color; however, on this occasion, Curiosity was positioned in the black-and-white section of the camera’s view. Despite the absence of a full-color image, the photograph remains notable, capturing the rover as it ascends the alien landscape from more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) above the Martian surface.
