ERNEST test – NASA is testing ERNEST, a new prototype rover built to handle extreme slopes and even drive sideways. During a week of field demonstrations in the Colorado Desert, it logged 16 miles in 37 hours of driving time with minimal engineer intervention—outpacing the
For years, NASA’s rovers on Mars have impressed the world with what they can reach. Now the agency is pushing for something different: a rover designed to move confidently across terrain so steep and unpredictable that the old playbook may not be enough.
NASA has been testing a prototype rover named ERNEST—short for Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain—on Earth. with an eye toward future missions that could go both to the moon and to Mars. In recent months. the focus has been practical: letting the rover prove it can handle the kinds of conditions future robots will face off-planet.
The test results are the headline. Over a seven-day stretch of demonstrations in the Colorado Desert in Southern California near Plaster City. ERNEST covered 16 miles in 37 hours of actual driving time. with “minimal intervention from the team of engineers trailing it. ” NASA said in a June 18 press release. It drove in daylight across dusk and dawn—when shadows stretch—and it continued through complete darkness. a direct attempt to mimic lunar lighting conditions.
EQUIPPED FOR EXTREME SLOPES, NOT JUST TOUGH ROCK
ERNEST is not meant for space itself. It’s a technology test vehicle developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The rover is small—just four feet long—but its mobility system is built for movement that goes beyond conventional rover navigation.
It uses four steerable wheels, allowing it to drive in any direction, including sideways. NASA says that the design could inspire future rovers that are twice as big. The prototype is also described as more sophisticated than the six-wheeled. car-sized Perseverance and Curiosity rovers—each of which has spent years exploring Mars.
NASA adds that ERNEST is more than 10 times faster than those earlier rovers. based on its advanced capabilities for autonomous travel over tougher terrain and farther distances than previously possible. The agency also points to ERNEST’s field performance as a benchmark that can outstrip the older fleet’s limits on Mars. While the test pace of 16 miles in 37 hours may not sound like a sprint. it “far surpasses the top speeds of NASA’s aging Perseverance and Curiosity rovers on the red planet. ” in NASA’s framing.
BEHIND THE WHEELS: TRAINING THAT STARTED IN 2022
The field demo didn’t begin in the desert. NASA said the rover’s tests followed months of virtual training. ERNEST has been under development since 2022, giving NASA time to refine how the prototype handles difficult driving scenarios before taking it into harsh, real-world conditions.
The sequence matters: NASA is testing how well ERNEST can operate with autonomy—an approach that aims to reduce the amount of constant human control required when the communications delay of deep space makes rapid adjustments impossible.
A ROVER DESIGNED FOR ARTEMIS-ERA EXPLORATION
NASA’s development pitch is closely tied to its Artemis program, which includes missions both with astronauts and without them. The agency says future rovers implementing ERNEST’s capabilities could be even larger and faster. and capable of long-distance. long-duration missions on either the moon or Mars.
With that kind of mobility. NASA suggests. these next-generation machines could reach “formidable areas previously thought inaccessible.” The payoff would be scientific and practical. On the moon, the agency points to the possibility that native resources could help sustain a crewed lunar base. On Mars. NASA notes that humanity has long sought evidence of past life—and new landing sites and traverse routes could broaden the odds of finding it.
For now. ERNEST remains on Earth. still earning its lessons the hard way: rolling across extreme terrain. including darkness. while engineers watch and intervene only minimally. If it works as intended. the next rover generations won’t just be better at getting around—they’ll be built for worlds where the ground won’t wait for anyone.
NASA ERNEST Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL rover Perseverance Curiosity Mars moon Artemis Colorado Desert Plaster City autonomous driving