NASA Rover detects Potential Meteorite During Mars Exploration
JEZERO CRATER,MARS – NASA’s Perseverance rover has identified an unusually shaped rock on Mars,dubbed ”Phippsaksla,” that scientists believe may be a meteorite. The discovery, made on September 19, 2025 – Sol 1629 of the Mars 2020 mission – stems from the rock’s distinct appearance and subsequent analysis revealing a high iron and nickel content.
The finding adds another layer of scientific intrigue too Perseverance’s ongoing exploration of Jezero Crater, a region believed to have once held a lake and river system. The rover’s Left Mastcam-Z camera captured a close-up view of Phippsaksla, revealing a cavernous weathering texture that differed from the surrounding terrain, prompting further examination.
Perseverance is equipped with a sample caching system designed to drill and store rock cores in sealed tubes for a future Mars Sample Return mission. While no core has yet been extracted from Phippsaksla, NASA may select it for sampling if further analysis warrants deeper study. The rover, which arrived on Mars in early 2021, has been traversing ancient lakebeds, river channels, and volcanic plains, searching for signs of past microbial life. The potential identification of an iron meteorite adds to the growing scientific potential of the mission.
