NASA's Perseverance rover recently achieved a historic milestone on Mars, completing its first drives planned entirely by artificial intelligence. At the heart of this groundbreaking development is Vandi Verma, an Indian-origin space roboticist and chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Her leadership in robotic operations and autonomous systems made these independent Martian journeys possible in December 2025. This advancement signals a new era for space exploration, allowing missions to operate more efficiently and explore distant worlds with less human intervention.[livemint+7]
From Punjab to Planetary Robotics
Vandi Verma's journey into the world of advanced robotics began in India. She was born and partly raised in Halwara, Punjab, where her father served as a pilot in the Indian Air Force. This early exposure to aviation and engineering environments helped spark her interest in technology and exploration.Verma earned her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh.She then moved to the United States to pursue further studies, obtaining a master's degree in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Verma continued her academic pursuits at CMU, completing her PhD in robotics in 2005. Her doctoral thesis, titled "Tractable Particle Filters for Robot Fault Diagnosis," focused on autonomous systems and fault detection, which proved crucial for operating complex machinery in challenging, remote environments like Mars.[livemint+22]
Before joining JPL, Verma gained practical experience by testing Mars rovers in extreme Earth environments, including Chile's Atacama Desert, the Arctic, and Antarctica.These desolate landscapes share similarities with the Martian surface, providing ideal testing grounds for robotic navigation and survival.She also co-wrote PLEXIL (Plan Execution Interchange Language) at NASA Ames Research Center.PLEXIL is an open-source programming language now widely used in automation technologies, including other NASA rovers, the International Space Station, and human spaceflight projects.[planetary+10]
Driving Rovers on Mars
Verma joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2007.The following year, she became a vital part of the Mars rover team.Since 2008, she has been deeply involved in robotic operations on Mars, contributing to several flagship missions.Her expertise has been instrumental in the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, as well as the Curiosity rover.For the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission, Verma serves as the Chief Engineer for Robotic Operations.In this role, she oversees how the Perseverance rover navigates the Martian terrain, avoids hazards, and executes intricate command sequences.She also holds the title of Principal Engineer and is the Assistant Section Manager for Mobility and Robotic Systems at JPL.[jagranjosh+21]
Verma is one of a select few individuals globally qualified to drive a vehicle on Mars.Her work extends to developing onboard robotic arm collision detection and autonomous robotic arm positioning for Perseverance.She also developed autonomous science targeting systems for both Perseverance and Curiosity.Additionally, Verma created ground operations capabilities, including the rapid flight software in the loop Surface Simulation (SSIM), which is used daily to simulate and verify spacecraft commands for Curiosity and Perseverance.Reflecting on her unique role, Verma once said, "I always say, you know, I have one of the coolest jobs in the world. It's a lot of fun because you are one of the first people to see the images you're literally driving in terrain that nobody has ever seen before."[livemint+7]
AI-Powered Martian Exploration
A significant recent achievement led by Verma and her team involved the Perseverance rover completing its first fully AI-planned drives on Mars. These historic drives took place on December 8 and 10, 2025, along the rim of the Jezero Crater.Unlike traditional methods where human engineers painstakingly plot routes, these drives relied entirely on advanced artificial intelligence.The AI, specifically a type of generative AI called a vision-language model, analyzed the Martian terrain, identified potential hazards, and generated safe driving waypoints for the rover.[livemint+14]
This breakthrough represents a major shift in how robotic missions can operate. It drastically reduces the time and effort needed to plan rover movements, which is crucial for missions operating millions of miles from Earth where communication delays are significant.NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the test as a "glimpse into the future," noting that autonomous technologies will enable missions to operate more efficiently and respond better to challenging environments.Verma herself highlighted the promise of generative AI, stating, "The fundamental elements of generative AI are showing a lot of promise in streamlining the pillars of autonomous navigation for off-planet driving: perception (seeing the rocks and ripples), localization (knowing where we are), and planning and control (deciding and executing the safest path)."[livemint+10]
The Future of Autonomy in Space
Verma's work with the Perseverance rover also extends to its collaboration with the Ingenuity helicopter. As Chief Engineer of Robotic Operations for Mars 2020, she managed the interactions between the rover and the helicopter, including Ingenuity's deployment in April 2021 and its subsequent 72-flight technology demonstration through 2024.The autonomy frameworks developed by Verma, such as PLEXIL and MEXEC (multi-mission onboard planning and execution), were implemented in Perseverance's systems.These systems transmitted flight data and images from Ingenuity to Earth, ensuring smooth coordination even without constant human control.[jagranjosh+3]
The future of space exploration will increasingly rely on such autonomous decision-making as missions venture farther into the solar system.Verma believes that generative AI and other smart tools will help rovers achieve "kilometer-scale drives" while minimizing the workload for human operators.These tools can also efficiently flag scientifically interesting features by analyzing vast volumes of rover images, saving valuable time for science teams.Verma's contributions are not just about driving robots; they are about expanding humanity's reach and understanding of other worlds through intelligent, self-sufficient exploration.[financialexpress+4]
