A newly released series of images captures an unusual moment for NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars after a rock became stuck to the drill at the end of the rover’s robotic arm. Engineers eventually freed the rock by moving the arm and repeatedly operating the drill over several days.
The full sequence was recorded by Curiosity’s black and white hazard cameras mounted on the front of the rover, along with navigation cameras located on its mast, or head.
Rare Drill Mishap on Mars
On April 25, 2026, Curiosity drilled into a rock known as “Atacama” to collect a sample. The rock is estimated to measure about 1.5 feet across at its base, about 6 inches thick, and weighs around 28.6 pounds (13 kilograms).
As the rover pulled its arm back after drilling, the entire rock unexpectedly lifted out of the Martian surface. The rock remained attached to the fixed sleeve surrounding the spinning drill bit.
Curiosity’s drilling operations have previously cracked or separated layers of rock, but NASA says this was the first time a rock stayed attached to the drill sleeve itself. Mission engineers first attempted to remove it by vibrating the drill, but the effort had no visible effect.
NASA Engineers Try Multiple Solutions
A few days later, on April 29, the team adjusted the position of Curiosity’s robotic arm and activated the drill vibration again. Images from the rover show sand spilling from the “Atacama” rock during the attempt, yet the rock still did not detach.
On May 1, engineers made another attempt using a combination of steeper drill angles, drill rotation, vibration, and spinning of the drill bit. The team expected they might need to repeat the process several times, but the rock broke free during the first attempt. It fractured apart when it struck the Martian ground.
View the Animations
Curiosity’s Ongoing Mars Mission
NASA’s Curiosity rover was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL oversees the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of the agency’s Mars Exploration Program.