PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — NASA’s Perseverance rover completed its first fully AI-planned drives on Mars in December 2025, marking a milestone in autonomous navigation, officials announced Jan. 30, 2026. The rover also identified potential biosignatures in a rock sample collected in July 2024 from Jezero Crater, according to a peer-reviewed paper released Sept. 10, 2025.
The AI drives took place Dec. 8 and Dec. 10, 2025, without human input, using vision-based systems to avoid hazards and plan routes, Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers said. This capability cuts delays from Earth-Mars communication lags of four to 24 minutes.
The biosignature findings come from “leopard spots” on a rock named Cheyava Falls in Neretva Vallis, where the rover collected a sample called Sapphire Canyon. Scientists analyzed it with instruments including SHERLOC and PIXL, detecting chemical patterns that could indicate ancient microbial life, the paper stated. NASA experts stressed that the spots represent potential biosignatures, with other explanations like abiotic chemical reactions under consideration.
“A sample collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover from an ancient dry riverbed in Jezero Crater could preserve evidence of ancient microbial life... contains potential biosignatures, according to a paper published Wednesday,” NASA stated in its Sept. 10, 2025, release.
“Scientists think the spots may indicate that, billions of years ago, the chemical reactions in this rock could have supported microbial life; other explanations are being considered,” JPL stated in a July 25, 2024, update.
Perseverance launched July 30, 2020, and landed in Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, to search for signs of past microbial life and collect samples for potential return to Earth. The rover has cached more than 20 rock and regolith samples, including Sapphire Canyon, which contains olivine and organic-like features.
Communications with Perseverance paused from late December 2025 to late January 2026 due to solar conjunction, when Earth and Mars aligned behind the sun, halting raw image transmissions. Operations resumed in late January 2026, enabling the AI drives announcement. The rover relies on relay orbiters like MAVEN and Odyssey during such periods.
Recent science highlights include studies of wind-sculpted megaripples, such as one named Hazyview, analyzed by a Purdue University team. These features offer insights into current Martian surface processes, contrasting with the rover’s focus on ancient rocks from long-lost rivers and lakes.
Public-voted raw images from the rover’s cameras, provided by Malin Space Science Systems, showcase Jezero Crater terrain.
The mission is Phase 1 of the Mars Sample Return campaign, a joint NASA and European Space Agency effort planned for the 2030s. Jezero Crater was chosen for its delta and lake sediments, which preserve evidence of habitability from about 3.5 billion years ago.
Perseverance builds on previous rovers like Curiosity and Opportunity, advancing astrobiology goals established since the Viking missions in 1976.
Experts apply a “podium test” to biosignature claims, requiring overwhelming evidence before public announcements of life detection. “What would it take for you personally to confidently stand up in front of an international audience and make that claim? When you put it… We call this the podium test,” a NASA expert said Sept. 10, 2025.
The AI system evolves from earlier autonomy features, enabling the six-wheeled rover to navigate complex terrain in Jezero’s riverbed. Instruments like WATSON provide close-up imaging of samples, supporting chemical analysis.
Ongoing preparations focus on caching samples for retrieval. The biosignature paper, part of release 25-061, aligns with mission objectives to assess past habitability.
Spanish-language outreach through NASA Ciencia highlights global interest in the findings. Sources said no confirmed evidence of life exists, but sample return could enable detailed lab analysis unavailable on Mars.
The instruments detected chemical patterns that could indicate ancient microbial life, but other explanations remain possible, the paper noted.
Perseverance’s work aligns with broader trends, including commercial Mars efforts by SpaceX and exoplanet studies with the James Webb Space Telescope. The rover’s progress positions 2025-2026 as a period of high activity.
