NASA tests autonomous lunar landing navigation on drone

NASA demonstrated autonomous navigation technology for safe spacecraft landings on the Moon and other planets during an Aug. 27 flight test at Rogers Dry Lake near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. An Alta-X drone equipped with NASA’s Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) payload flew simulated lunar descent and landing maneuvers. The drone flight was a stand-in for a real lunar landing, and no spacecraft landed on the Moon during the test. This flight test represents a key milestone in a longer development effort to refine autonomous landing systems for future crewed and robotic missions.

During the Aug. 27 flight, the SPLICE payload used advanced guidance to map terrain and assess potential landing areas. SPLICE creates high-resolution digital elevation maps using light-detection and sensor data, allowing the system to evaluate the safety of a landing site. If the system judges the targeted landing area unsafe, it diverts the drone to a safer site automatically.

Among the most perilous moments of exploring another world is the landing itself, and a lander may not always have a human available to select a safe touchdown point while the craft descends. SPLICE addresses this by evaluating the terrain and shifting course on its own when the planned landing site poses a danger, removing the need for real-time human direction. NASA states that this technology enables spacecraft to touch down with precision while identifying and steering clear of dangerous areas, a capability deemed essential for upcoming lunar and Martian expeditions.

Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center developed the SPLICE payload, while NASA Armstrong specialists integrated, tested, and flew it aboard the Alta-X drone in June and July. Those integration tests, which took place before the full-scale August demonstration, verified communications, data handling, telemetry, and command-control performance between the payload and the aircraft. On July 15, 2026, an Alta-X drone flew SPLICE near NASA Armstrong during hover maneuvers, and the payload communicated with the aircraft.

Early development was supported by NASA’s Flight Opportunities project, based at Armstrong, which advanced the technology’s readiness level. In 2019, the project flew a descent profile and landing path like a lunar mission, and in 2020, it demonstrated two precision landing sensor systems developed by NASA. These early tests laid a foundation for SPLICE’s current technology readiness level, helping to mature the system for the Aug. 27 flight.

Davis Adams, NASA project manager, said the Aug. 27 flight represented almost a decade of SPLICE project work. “This flight test is the culmination of almost a decade of work, for the SPLICE project,” Adams said. He noted that the flight increased the technology readiness level, which measures the maturity of a technology, and prepared SPLICE for future crewed and robotic lunar missions.

Adams added that the validation of the guidance and navigation systems applies to terrestrial, lunar, and Martian descent and landing missions, meaning the technology is designed to work across multiple planetary environments. He said the validation of the guidance and navigation systems applies to landings on Earth, the Moon and Mars, highlighting the broad applicability of the SPLICE technology.

NASA plans to make the SPLICE guidance system available in the NASA software catalog this fall, according to Adams, and the agency is coordinating with industry on its use. Some companies are already assessing SPLICE navigation for precision landing and autonomous surface movement, he said. NASA has partnered with commercial lunar lander companies to add SPLICE versions to their vehicles, and NASA has collaborated with commercial lunar lander providers to integrate SPLICE iterations into their platforms.

Landers planned for upcoming Moon Base missions leverage NASA data from systems like SPLICE to perform soft lunar touchdowns. A full-scale SPLICE test is scheduled at Voyager Technologies in Mojave, California, later this month.

According to NASA, better landings could raise the chances that future crewed and robotic missions survive surface contact, but the technology has not flown on a real Moon landing. The Aug. 27 drone flight was a stand-in for a real lunar landing, and no spacecraft landed on the Moon during the test. The SPLICE system is designed to enable precise touchdowns while identifying and circumventing hazardous zones, a function NASA considers vital for its lunar and Martian exploration objectives.

The practical effect of the drone flight is indirect, representing one step in a longer development effort that has not yet been shown on an actual lunar landing. As NASA continues to work with commercial partners, the lessons learned from SPLICE testing are expected to shape the landing systems of tomorrow’s lunar and Martian missions.