Meet Vandi Verma, Indian scientist leading NASA's AI-powered Mars exploration
What's the story
In a landmark achievement for space exploration, NASA has successfully executed its first-ever AI-driven exploration of Mars. The historic mission was led by an Indian-origin scientist, Vandana 'Vandi' Verma. On December 8 and 10, 2025, the Perseverance rover carried out drives on the Martian surface using routes entirely planned by artificial intelligence (AI). The groundbreaking demonstration took place along the Jezero Crater's rim and showcased how far we have come in exploring other worlds.
Pioneering effort
AI-planned drives with no human intervention
The AI-planned drives were conducted with no human intervention, marking a major milestone in space exploration. The technology used was a vision-language model, a type of generative AI that analyzes terrain and plots safe routes for the rover. This was all made possible by the Rover Operations Center (ROC) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where Verma played an instrumental role in this pioneering effort.
Career trajectory
Education and early career
Born in Halwara, Punjab, Verma is the daughter of an Indian Air Force pilot. She earned her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh before pursuing a master's in robotics at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her doctoral studies were also at CMU where she wrote her thesis on "Tractable Particle Filters for Robot Fault Diagnosis."
Robotics passion
Verma's journey to NASA
Verma developed an interest in robotics in unknown environments during her time at CMU. She interned at NASA's Ames Research Center and even field-tested a rover that surveyed South America's Atacama Desert for signs of life. These experiences foreshadowed her current work at NASA, where she joined JPL in 2007. By 2019, she was leading JPL's Autonomous Systems, Mobility, and Robotic Systems group.
Future prospects
Verma on generative AI's potential in space exploration
Commenting on the recent achievement, Verma said, "The fundamental elements of generative AI are showing a lot of promise in streamlining the pillars of autonomous navigation for off-planet driving." She added that we are moving toward a day where generative AI and other smart tools will help surface rovers handle kilometer-scale drives while minimizing operator workload. This could revolutionize how we explore other planets like Mars.