Propulsion

In December 2025, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory conducted a pioneering test where AI (Anthropic's Claude) planned a ~400m driving route for the Perseverance rover on Mars for the first time. Due to communication delays (~20 minutes), the rover requires pre-planned routes rather than real-time remote control.

A task traditionally performed by human experts. Claude automatically generated waypoint routes based on satellite/rover imagery and historical operational data, and even wrote the necessary Rover Markup Language code. After validation through simulation (500,000+ variables), the route was transmitted and the rover successfully completed the drive. Route planning time is expected to be reduced by approximately 50% compared to human planning. This demonstrates the potential for highly autonomous AI exploration systems for future missions to the Moon (Artemis), deep space, and beyond.

Claude AI Powers First AI-Planned Mars Rover Drive | Anthropic

The first AI-assisted drive on another planet. Claude by Anthropic helped NASA's Perseverance rover travel four hundred meters on Mars.