NASA’s Perseverance rover has completed the first Martian drives planned using artificial intelligence (AI), marking a new milestone in autonomous space exploration. The demonstration, carried out on Dec. 8 and Dec. 10, 2025, used generative AI to create safe navigation routes across the rugged terrain of Jezero Crater without direct input from human route planners.
The project, led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, relied on vision-language AI models to analyze imagery and terrain data typically reviewed by human rover drivers. The AI generated waypoints — predefined locations where the rover receives updated instructions — allowing Perseverance to safely maneuver across hazardous ground that includes boulder fields, bedrock, and sand ripples.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the demonstration highlights how autonomous technologies can help future missions operate more efficiently and increase scientific output, especially as missions travel farther from Earth. Because Mars sits roughly 140 million miles away on average, communication delays make real-time control impossible, requiring rover teams to plan routes in advance.
For nearly three decades, human operators have manually analyzed terrain and plotted routes. In this test, however, generative AI used high-resolution orbital images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera and digital elevation models to design a continuous path. Engineers then validated the AI-generated commands using a digital twin — a virtual replica of the rover — checking more than 500,000 telemetry variables before transmitting instructions to Mars.
Perseverance successfully completed two AI-planned drives, traveling 689 feet (210 meters) on Dec. 8 and 807 feet (246 meters) on Dec. 10. Researchers say the results demonstrate the potential for AI to improve autonomous navigation by helping rovers perceive hazards, determine location, and select safe paths.
JPL roboticist Vandi Verma said generative AI could eventually enable kilometer-scale autonomous drives while reducing operator workload. Officials also said intelligent systems may one day support broader exploration efforts, including future lunar infrastructure and eventual human missions to Mars.
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