Curiosity rover starts its 'summer trip' to next Martian destination - Engadget

That doesn’t mean Curiosity will no longer be in the picture, though — in fact, the older rover has just started its mile-long summer journey towards its next destination.

The Curiosity rover’s next stop is Mount Sharp’s “sulfate-bearing unit.” Since, here on Earth, sulfates usually form around water as it evaporates, the data the rover gathers could give us a clue on how the Martian climate and its prospects for life has changed over the past 3 billion years.

Curiosity has been investigating Mount Sharp’s clay-rich environment since early 2019, providing information to scientists looking into whether the former watery environment could have supported ancient microbes.