NASA’s Perseverance rover has completed the first drives on another world that were planned entirely by artificial intelligence. The demonstration, executed on December 8 and 10, 2025, was led by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California and used generative AI to create waypoints for the rover — a complex decision-making task typically performed manually by human rover planners.
Why It Matters
Mars is approximately 140 million miles away from Earth. This vast distance creates a significant communication lag, making real-time remote operation — or “joy-sticking” — of a rover impossible. For the past 28 years, rover routes have been planned and executed by human “drivers” who analyze terrain and status data to sketch routes using waypoints spaced no more than 330 feet apart to avoid potential hazards.
In this demonstration, generative AI provided the analysis of high-resolution orbital imagery from the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and terrain-slope data from digital elevation models. After identifying critical terrain features — bedrock, outcrops, hazardous boulder fields, sand ripples, and the like — it generated a continuous path complete with waypoints.
The engineering team then processed the drive commands through JPL’s “digital twin” (a virtual replica of the rover), verifying over 500,000 telemetry variables before sending commands to Mars.
The Results
On December 8, with generative AI waypoints in its memory, Perseverance drove 689 feet (210 meters). Two days later, it drove 807 feet (246 meters) — both significant distances for a Mars rover.
“This demonstration shows how far our capabilities have advanced and broadens how we will explore other worlds,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Autonomous technologies like this can help missions to operate more efficiently, respond to challenging terrain, and increase science return as distance from Earth grows.”
Looking Forward
“We’re moving towards a day where generative AI and other smart tools will help our surface rovers handle kilometer-scale drives while minimizing operator workload,” said Vandi Verma, a space roboticist at JPL. The goal is to establish the infrastructure and systems required for a permanent human presence on the Moon and eventually send crewed missions to Mars.
📰 Source: [NASA JPL Newshttps://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-completes-first-ai-planned-drive-on-mars/){rel=“nofollow”}
🔍 [ZWERYFIKOWANE] Dec 8-10, 2025 | 2 źródła: NASA JPL, ScienceDaily