# Planetary Exploration 3.0: A Roadmap for Software-Defined, Radically Adaptive Space Systems

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.20910 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.20910/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 8 of its 136 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 22 Apr 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [Learning robust perceptive locomotion for quadrupedal robots in the wild](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.08117/) (2022)
- [Neural-Fly Enables Rapid Learning for Agile Flight in Strong Winds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.06908/) (2022)
- [Adaptive Stress Testing for Autonomous Vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.01909/) (2019)
- [Vision-Based Detection of Uncooperative Targets and Components on Small Satellites](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.12084/) (2024)
- [MoonBot: Modular and On-Demand Reconfigurable Robot Toward Moon Base Construction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.21853/) (2025)
- [Onboard Science Instrument Autonomy for the Detection of Microscopy Biosignatures on the Ocean Worlds Life Surveyor](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.13189/) (2023)
- [Autonomy in the Real-World: Autonomous Trajectory Planning for Asteroid Reconnaissance via Stochastic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.06816/) (2024)
- [Adaptive Science Operations in Deep Space Missions Using Offline Belief State Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.08812/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The surface and subsurface of worlds beyond Mars remain largely unexplored. Yet these worlds hold keys to fundamental questions in planetary science - from potentially habitable subsurface oceans on icy moons to ancient records preserved in Kuiper Belt objects. NASA's success in Mars exploration was achieved through incrementalism: 22 progressively sophisticated missions over decades. This paradigm, which we call Planetary Exploration 2.0 (PE 2.0), is untenable for the outer Solar System, where cruise times of a decade or more make iterative missions infeasible. We propose Planetary Exploration 3.0 (PE 3.0): a paradigm in which unvisited worlds are explored by a single or a few missions with radically adaptive space systems. A PE 3.0 mission conducts both initial exploratory science and follow-on hypothesis-driven science based on its own in situ data returns, evolving spacecraft capabilities to work resiliently in previously unseen environments. The key enabler of PE 3.0 is software-defined space systems (SDSSs) - systems that can adapt their functions at all levels through software updates. This paper presents findings from a Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) workshop on PE 3.0, covering: (1) PE 3.0 systems engineering including science definition, architecture, design methods, and verification & validation; (2) software-defined space system technologies including reconfigurable hardware, multi-functionality, and modularity; (3) onboard intelligence including autonomous science, navigation, controls, and embodied AI; and (4) three PE 3.0 mission concepts: a Neptune/Triton smart flyby, an ocean world explorer, and an Oort cloud reconnaissance mission.