How Perseverance Learned to ‘Self-Locate’ on Mars

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NASA’s Perseverance rover can now precisely determine its own location on Mars without waiting for human help from Earth. This is possible thanks to a new technology called Mars Global Localization. This technology rapidly compares panoramic images from the rover’s navigation cameras with onboard orbital terrain maps. It’s done with an algorithm that runs on the rover’s Helicopter Base Station processor, which was originally used to communicate with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. In a few minutes, the algorithm can pinpoint Perseverance’s position to within about 10 inches (25 centimeters). The technology will help the rover drive farther autonomously and keep exploring. Mars Global Localization was first used successfully for regular mission operations on Feb. 2, 2026, and the team expects related reliability techniques to inform future missions, including exploration on the Moon. Learn more: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-now-autonomously-pinpoints-its-location-on-mars/ Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Published 2026-02-18 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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