NASA SPLICE payload completes verified Alta-X drone test
NASA's facts mark the SPLICE payload completed and verified, with the Alta-X drone landing listed at Rogers Dry Lake in Edwards, California.
- NASA's SPLICE payload has been completed and verified after an Alta-X drone test at Rogers Dry Lake.
- SPLICE maps terrain, generates elevation maps and can divert to a safer location.
- NASA's Johnson Space Center developed SPLICE, with NASA Armstrong as a partner and Flight Opportunities enabling flight testing.
- Earlier test results are recorded for SPLICE in 2019 and for NASA precision landing sensor systems in 2020.
- A full-scale test associated with Voyager Technologies is planned, and SPLICE's TRL is listed as raised.
What happened
NASA's SPLICE payload is marked completed and verified, and the Alta-X drone test is marked completed. The landing site is Rogers Dry Lake, and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center is listed under Edwards, California.
What we know
The Alta-X drone test is recorded as completed, and the landing site is Rogers Dry Lake. NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center is associated with Edwards, California.
NASA's Johnson Space Center is identified as the developer, and NASA Armstrong is identified as a partner. NASA's Flight Opportunities project is credited with enabling flight testing and is linked to NASA Armstrong.
The SPLICE payload is marked completed and verified. It maps terrain, generates elevation maps, and its guidance system can divert to a safer location.
The SPLICE project's TRL is listed as raised, and its guidance and navigation systems are listed as applicable. NASA's partnership is tied to commercial lunar lander providers, while SPLICE is tied to platform implementation.
Earlier test results are recorded for the SPLICE project in 2019 and for NASA-developed precision landing sensor systems in 2020, with 2 sensor systems.
Why it matters
The verified result gives lunar-industry readers a concrete test status for a payload that maps terrain, generates elevation maps and can divert to a safer location.
The organizational links and partnership entries tie NASA's Johnson Space Center and NASA Armstrong to commercial lunar lander providers and platform implementation, while the raised TRL shows progress within the facts given.
Background
Earlier site coverage, dated 24 September 2026, reported that the Alta-X drone's SPLICE had completed simulated lunar landing tests. That report is the prior entry on the same Alta-X/SPLICE thread.
What's next
A full-scale test is listed as planned and associated with Voyager Technologies.
Sources
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