Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
NASA's Curiosity rover faced an unusual issue when a rock became stuck on the drill at the end of its robotic arm after a drilling operation on Mars. The rock, called "Atacama," measured about 1.5 feet in diameter at its base, 6 inches thick, and weighed around 28.6 pounds (13 kilograms).
After drilling on April 25, 2026, Curiosity retracted its arm, but the rock lifted out of the ground and adhered to the fixed sleeve surrounding the rotating drill bit. This was unprecedented, as previous drilling operations had fractured or separated rock layers but had not caused a rock to remain attached to the drill sleeve.
The team first tried to free the rock by vibrating the drill, but saw no movement. On April 29, they repositioned the robotic arm and vibrated the drill again, which only caused sand to fall from the rock, leaving it attached.
On May 1, the team executed a sequence of tilting, rotating, and vibrating the drill, also spinning the drill bit. These actions successfully detached the rock on the first attempt, though the rock fractured upon hitting the ground.
The process was documented with images from the hazard cameras on the chassis and navigation cameras on Curiosity’s mast. The rover is developed and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as part of the Mars Exploration Program.