NASA field-tests agile ERNEST rover to enable long-range Moon and Mars missions
TL;DR
NASA's JPL is field-testing ERNEST, an Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain, to refine mobility and autonomous navigation for future long-range lunar and Mars missions. In March 2026 in the Colorado Desert, the four-wheeled prototype drove about 16 miles (37 hours) with minimal intervention, using active suspension (with a passive mode) and a gimbaled front to handle rugged terrain. The rover is being trained with reinforcement learning in a high-fidelity simulator before autonomous, longer-range lunar testing, aiming to reach speeds far beyond current rovers like Perseverance and Curiosity.
- NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities for Moon, Mars Rovers NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (.gov)
- Desert Field Test With NASA Advanced Rover Prototype NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (.gov)
- NASA’s ERNEST Rover Just Completed a 16-Mile Desert Run to Unlock Steeper Routes on the Moon and Mars TechEBlog -
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Read on NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (.gov)