NASA successfully tested its Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) navigation system on August 27 at Rogers Dry Lake near Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. Mounted on an Alta-X drone, SPLICE executed simulated lunar descent and landing maneuvers autonomously, showcasing advanced terrain mapping and hazard detection functionalities.
SPLICE operates by generating high-resolution digital elevation maps using light-detection and ranging sensor data. It autonomously evaluates the intended landing site in real-time and, if unsafe terrain is detected, redirects the vehicle to a safer location, thereby increasing mission safety during planetary landings.
Developed by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and integrated by specialists at Armstrong, SPLICE underwent preliminary testing in June and July to confirm communications, telemetry, and command-control performance on the Alta-X drone. The August test increased the technology readiness level, positioning it for incorporation in future lunar and Martian missions.
The system's validated capabilities have potential terrestrial and planetary applications, including robotic and crewed descent and landing. NASA is collaborating with commercial lunar lander manufacturers to incorporate SPLICE iterations on upcoming Moon Base missions, utilizing NASA-generated data for precise and safe lunar touchdowns.
Flight Opportunities at Armstrong facilitated early-phase SPLICE flight testing, demonstrating descent altitude and landing trajectory control in 2019 and precision landing sensor systems in 2020. These incremental tests have underpinned SPLICE's maturation toward deployment readiness.
NASA plans to make the SPLICE system available in its software catalog this fall, enabling industry partners to evaluate its navigation and precision landing features. Discussions are underway to explore extending the system's autonomous capabilities into surface mobility on planetary bodies.
Despite its promise, SPLICE remains under evaluation, with further testing planned at Voyager Technologies in Mojave, California. Operational deployment on planetary missions will require continued validation under mission-specific conditions and integration with diverse spacecraft platforms.
Source & further reading
NASA Navigation Experiment Shows Promise for Planetary Landings ↗Source published 2026-11-04. This report was prepared with AI assistance from the linked primary-source material. Claims and limitations should be checked against the original announcement or research.