Opportunity Rover: 14-Year Martian Marathon Ends Only with a Planet-Wide Dust Storm

NASA’s Opportunity rover outlasted its 90‑day design life by 14 years and 138 days, covering more than 28 miles and discovering evidence of ancient Martian water. A planet‑encircling dust storm in 2018 buried its solar panels, and after thousands of wake‑up attempts, the rover never rejoined the signal. NASA declared the mission over in 2019, but Opportunity still sits on Mars as a testament to engineering resilience and exploration.