Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
NASA's Curiosity rover reached the rim of the 10-meter Antofagasta crater on Mars, observing a fresh, relatively uneroded rim. However, the crater floor was filled with dark, rippled sandy material that obscured deeper rock layers of interest. Attempts to access exposures above the sand would have put the rover in a difficult position for sample delivery, and driving onto the sandy crater fill posed a high risk of the rover becoming stuck. Consequently, the team decided not to drill at or near the crater.
Within the rover's workspace, there were notable bedrock targets, including rocks with polygonal features. The team conducted detailed imaging and geochemical analyses using instruments such as APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam to study these rocks on the crater rim. Environmental monitoring also continued, including dust devil tracking and atmospheric measurements.
After opting against drilling in the crater area, the mission team began planning the next drill campaign focusing on layered sulfate rock units in the nearby Valle Grande region. Observations of exposed layering in buttes along the rover's route have revealed varying depositional and diagenetic characteristics. As the rover proceeds southward, it is expected to access these rock layers for drilling, which have not been sampled since the Mineral King campaign in early 2024.