NASA SPLICE Drone Test Advances Autonomous Planetary Landing Technology

NASA has successfully tested an autonomous landing system that could transform how spacecraft touch down on the moon and other planets. On August 27, an Alta-X drone carrying the Safe and Precise Landing—Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) payload performed simulated lunar descent maneuvers at Rogers Dry Lake near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The SPLICE system integrates advanced sensors and algorithms to identify safe landing zones without human intervention, reducing risk for future robotic and crewed missions. This test marks a key step toward enabling precise landings in hazardous terrain, such as the moon’s south pole or Mars, where traditional navigation is challenging. By demonstrating the technology on a terrestrial drone, NASA can refine its performance before deploying it on actual planetary landers. The success at Rogers Dry Lake underscores the agency’s commitment to developing smarter, safer exploration capabilities for the Artemis program and beyond. Ultimately, autonomous landing systems like SPLICE could open up new regions of the solar system to scientific discovery and human exploration.