Perseverance resumes exploration at Lac de Charmes and is sent to Idubi

An update dated 2026-09-21 says Perseverance is back and resuming exploration at Lac de Charmes. The rover is nearing the end of work there and has been sent to Idubi.

The update is dated 2026-09-21 and lists the rover as back and resuming.

Perseverance is exploring Lac de Charmes, west of the Jezero crater rim, an area characterized as a wild west frontier.

Rocks there are among the oldest encountered, formed during asteroid bombardment on young Mars and before the sedimentary rocks inside the Jezero crater that formed in rivers and lakes.

Those rocks may teach earliest Martian history and rocky planet evolution.

The science team is exploring the terrain before deciding on samples, while the rover follows a looping path between outcrops; the update lists 13 abrasion patches.

The rocks show evidence of both igneous and impactite material.

A new exploration algorithm uses the Ingenuity helicopter processor to support longer and more accurate drives.

The rover has been sent to Idubi, where hundreds of light-toned boulders are described as a scientific bonanza; a sample attempt on one light-toned boulder was unsuccessful.

For readers tracking the lunar industry, the relevance is comparative: the update shows terrain-first sample selection and a new algorithm for longer, more accurate drives.

Perseverance is preparing to move onward, and an abrasion attempt is planned at Gardenia this week.