Opportunity, also known as
MER-B or
MER-1, and nicknamed "
Oppy," is a robotic rover that was active on Mars from 2004 until mid-2018.
Opportunity was operational on Mars for 5110 sols. Launched on July 7, 2003, as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover program, it landed in Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004, three weeks after its twin
Spirit (MER-A) touched down on the other side of the planet. With a planned 90-sol duration of activity,
Spirit functioned until it got stuck in 2009 and ceased communications in 2010, while
Opportunity was able to stay operational for 5111 sols after landing, maintaining its power and key systems through continual recharging of its batteries using solar power, and hibernating during events such as dust storms to save power. This careful operation allowed
Opportunity to operate for 57 times its designed lifespan, exceeding the initial plan by 14ย years, 46ย days. By June 10, 2018, when it last contacted NASA, the rover had traveled a distance of 45.16 kilometers.