Key Highlights
- NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has encountered an unusually shaped rock called “Phippsaksla” that could be a meteorite.
- The rock is high in iron and nickel content, which suggests it might have formed elsewhere in the solar system.
- This discovery adds to previous findings of meteorites by other Mars rovers like Curiosity.
- Further investigation is needed to confirm if “Phippsaksla” is indeed a meteorite.
Unusual Rock Discovery on Mars
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has encountered an unusually shaped rock called “Phippsaksla,” which could potentially be a meteorite. The discovery was made using the Perseverance’s Left Mastcam-Z camera, one of two cameras located high on the rover’s mast.
Close-Up Inspection and Analysis
The Perseverance rover acquired an image of “Phippsaksla” on Sol 1629 (September 19, 2025) at a local mean solar time of 12:11:25. The rock is approximately 80 centimeters across and has a sculpted, high-standing appearance that differs from the surrounding low-lying, flat, and fragmented rocks.
Initial Findings
Analysis revealed that “Phippsaksla” contains a high concentration of iron and nickel. This element combination is typically associated with iron-nickel meteorites formed in the core of large asteroids. The presence of such a rock on Mars, particularly within Jezero crater, where similar-aged bedrock suggests a history of meteorite impacts, adds to the interest surrounding this discovery.
Previous Rover Discoveries
This is not the first time a rover has encountered an exotic rock on Mars. The Curiosity rover, for instance, identified several iron-nickel meteorites across its traverse in Gale crater, including the “Lebanon” and “Cacao” meteorites found in 2014 and 2023 respectively. Similarly, both Opportunity and Spirit rovers discovered iron-nickel meteorites during their missions.
Future Investigations
The Mars 2020 mission team is now conducting more detailed investigations to confirm the status of “Phippsaksla” as a meteorite. If confirmed, this discovery would add Perseverance to the list of rovers that have investigated the fragments of rocky visitors to Mars, contributing valuable data to our understanding of the Red Planet’s geological history and potential past environmental conditions.
For more updates from the Mars 2020 mission or information on Perseverance’s science instruments, visit the relevant sections provided by NASA. This ongoing exploration continues to unravel the mysteries of Mars, bringing us closer to comprehending its past and future.
