Planetary rovers, as the core equipment in deep space exploration missions, undertake important tasks. Since the 1970s, planetary rovers have played important roles in exploring the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies. In the 21st century, their development has entered a brand-new stage encompassing manned exploration and scientific research station construction, with mission scopes further expanding to efficient heavy-load transportation and complex operations. This paper reviews the development history of planetary rovers, analyzes the technical status quo and research progress in unmanned exploration, manned exploration, and future research stations on the planetary surface, and proposes the technical challenges posed by planetary rovers under extreme environments and complex terrains. Finally, this paper proposes key breakthrough technologies for the development of planetary rovers and provides suggestions for future development, aiming to provide powerful technical support for the construction of China’s future research station on planetary surface and manned lunar missions.