SPLICing the Way

The Artemis program demands unprecedented precision, requiring landers to touch down within 50 meters of a pre‑selected point under any lighting and terrain condition. Meeting that metric is essential for crew safety and mission success, and it drives NASA’s cross‑agency SPLICE (Spacecraft Landing Integrated Capability Enhancement) initiative. Managed from Johnson Space Center, SPLICE brings together experts from Goddard, Kennedy, and the National Institute of Aerospace to develop autonomous landing technologies that can operate on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. By integrating advanced sensors, high‑performance computing, and robust algorithms, the program aims to eliminate human‑in‑the‑loop constraints during the final descent.

The latest field test placed the SPLICE hazard‑detection LiDAR on a helicopter over a rugged test site. In just two seconds the system emitted 15 million short light pulses, generating a three‑dimensional map covering an area comparable to two football fields. A dedicated onboard processor evaluated the point cloud in real time, flagging rocks, slopes, and other obstacles while pinpointing a safe touchdown zone. This rapid scan‑‑and‑analyze cycle demonstrates that autonomous hazard avoidance can be performed within the tight timeframes required for lunar descent, reducing reliance on ground‑based guidance.

Successful validation of the LiDAR‑driven pipeline reshapes how future landers will approach unknown surfaces. With autonomous hazard detection, spacecraft can adapt to unexpected terrain, opening pathways for more ambitious landing sites such as lunar south‑pole craters or Martian canyons. The technology also offers cost savings by minimizing the need for extensive pre‑mission site surveys and enabling reusable lander designs. As NASA and commercial partners integrate SPLICE capabilities into upcoming Artemis missions, the broader space industry gains a proven framework for safe, precise, and scalable autonomous landings across the solar system.