What is the name of the valley where the Opportunity rover spent its final years?

The valley where Opportunity spent its final years was Perseverance Valley. The name honored the rover’s extraordinary endurance and was approved in 2018, during its exploration of the western rim of Endeavour Crater.

Opportunity reached the valley after years of travel across Meridiani Planum. Scientists believed its slopes and channels may have been shaped partly by water, wind, or other erosional processes, making the site valuable for studying Mars’s environmental history. The rover examined the valley’s surfaces and surrounding rocks while continuing to operate far beyond its original mission design.

Opportunity was built for a mission of only 90 Martian sols, but it remained active for more than 14 years after landing in January 2004. A planet-wide dust storm eventually blocked sunlight from reaching its solar panels. The rover’s last communication was received on June 10, 2018, from Perseverance Valley.

The name can be confused with NASA’s later Perseverance rover. In this case, Perseverance Valley was a geographic feature explored by Opportunity; it was not a reference to the newer rover’s landing site or mission.