All articles tagged with #jpl
NASA's Perseverance rover can now determine its precise location on Mars autonomously using Mars Global Localization, matching navigation camera panoramas to orbital imagery in about two minutes to pinpoint its position within roughly 25 centimeters. This enables longer, safer drives without Earth-based input, complements existing auto-navigation, and signals broader use of onboard AI for future missions including lunar exploration.
NASA's Perseverance rover completed two drives on Mars guided by artificial intelligence, using Anthropic's Claude to generate safe route waypoints tested in a digital twin. The 689-foot and 807-foot routes showed the rover could deviate from plans based on terrain data, marking the first AI-planned drives on another world. With interplanetary delays preventing real-time remote control, AI-assisted path planning could speed future missions to the Moon and Mars.
NASA's Perseverance rover completed its first two AI-planned drives on Mars (Dec. 8 and Dec. 10, 2025) at Jezero Crater, using Anthropic's Claude AI to analyze orbital imagery and terrain data and map routes. The missions totaled about 456 meters (nearly 1,500 feet), with extensive digital-twin validation, showcasing generative AI's potential to plan long rover drives and reduce operator workload while increasing science return.
NASA's Perseverance has logged about 42.3 kilometers on Mars (a marathon distance) and is reinforced for extended operation with autonomous driving and hardware rated for roughly 60 more kilometers, putting it on track to possibly surpass Opportunity’s distance record while continuing science in Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge has laid off 550 employees, over 10% of its staff, as part of a reorganization to address ongoing budget issues and focus on core capabilities, amid a challenging financial and political environment that threatens its future projects and leadership in space exploration.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will lay off about 550 employees, or 11% of its workforce, as part of a restructuring effort aimed at creating a leaner organization to better compete in the evolving space industry, with the changes beginning immediately and not related to the government shutdown.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is undergoing a workforce reduction of about 550 staff members as part of a restructuring effort to ensure future success, focusing on core capabilities and fiscal discipline, amid a lapse in federal funding.
NASA's Voyager mission, launched nearly 50 years ago, faces a 26% budget cut amid government shutdown concerns, threatening its ongoing scientific operations and affecting other missions like Juno, with fears of job losses and mission deactivation.
JPL in Pasadena has announced upcoming layoffs this month, affecting the well-known science hub that operates in Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge, as part of federal space and earth agency restructuring.
The article discusses the strategic timing of pre-emptive union busting efforts at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), with insights from Keith Cowing, a space industry journalist and former NASA employee.
The article discusses ongoing efforts to unionize NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), including a recent town hall on the topic and an anti-union email sent by management, highlighting tensions around employee organization at JPL.
The article is a brief acknowledgment to JPLers by Keith Cowing, a space journalist and former NASA employee, highlighting his background and affiliations.
NASA's Europa Clipper radar instrument successfully tested during a Mars flyby, demonstrating its capability to study Europa's icy shell and underlying ocean, paving the way for future exploration of potential habitability on the moon.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is reportedly attempting to sell off its satellites, including Earth-monitoring ones, amid budget cuts and plans to shut down certain projects, raising concerns about the future of space science and environmental monitoring. The move appears to be driven by the Trump administration's budget proposals and a broader anti-science stance, with NASA trying to offload assets to private and government buyers. The scientific community is alarmed by these developments, which threaten ongoing and future space research efforts.
NASA is reportedly planning to decommission several satellites, including OCO-2, OCO-3, and others, ahead of the FY 2026 budget, with internal discussions indicating a sale or shutdown of these assets.