Plan Autonomous Waypoint Missions in Mission Planner

A waypoint mission lets your drone fly a route on its own: take off, visit a list of points, take photos and land. It’s the most practical form of autonomy and the foundation of mapping and inspection work.

You’ll need: an ArduPilot or PX4 GPS drone (see the ArduPilot build) and Mission Planner or QGroundControl.

Mission basics

A mission is a list of commands:

Step 1: Set safety first

Before planning, set:

• Geofence: maximum altitude (for example 120 m) and radius.
• Radio failsafe: RTL or continue the mission, depending on your setup.
• Battery failsafe: RTL at low battery, land at critical.
• RTL altitude: above the tallest obstacle nearby.

Step 2: Plan the mission

1. Open the flight plan view and load the map of your area.
2. Click to add waypoints. Set altitude for each (relative to home).
3. Add a TAKEOFF command first and RETURN_TO_LAUNCH or LAND at the end.
4. Set mission speed. Slower is smoother and safer while testing.
5. Check the total distance and estimated flight time against your battery.

For mapping, use the survey or grid tool instead of placing points by hand. See mapping drones.

Step 3: Check terrain and obstacles

Waypoint altitudes are usually relative to the takeoff point. If the ground rises along the route, the drone gets closer to it. Use terrain-following options or set altitudes high enough. Look at every leg of the route for trees, towers and buildings.

Step 4: Upload and verify

1. Write the mission to the drone.
2. Read it back and confirm the points and commands match.
3. Check GPS fix quality and battery level.

Step 5: Fly it

1. Arm in Loiter and take off manually, or start in AUTO from the ground if your mission begins with TAKEOFF.
2. Switch to AUTO.
3. Watch the drone, and keep your hand on the mode switch. Switching to Loiter pauses the mission and gives you control.
4. Let it complete RTL or LAND.

Mission design tips

• Keep legs short at first so the drone stays close and in clear view.
• Use loiter points to pause at key spots for photos or inspection.
• Set speeds per section: slower near obstacles or where you want sharp photos.
• Add a final waypoint above the landing point before the LAND command, so the drone descends vertically into a known clear area.

Rally points and alternate landing spots

ArduPilot supports rally points: alternate safe locations the drone can return to instead of the launch point. Useful when the takeoff spot is crowded or when a mission covers a long area.

Example mission plan

Reviewing a mission after flight

Download the log and compare the planned path with the actual track. Large deviations can point to wind, poor GPS, compass problems or tuning issues. Fix them before planning longer missions.

Survey vs waypoint missions

Waypoint missions visit specific points in order. Survey missions generate a grid automatically to cover an area with photos. Use waypoints for inspection routes and surveys for mapping. See the mapping drone guide.

Using Lua scripts for custom behavior

ArduPilot supports Lua scripts on many flight controllers. Scripts can add custom behaviors to missions, such as reacting to a sensor reading or changing speed based on conditions, without a companion computer.

Rules

Missions don’t change the law. Recreational pilots in the U.S. must keep the drone in visual line of sight. Commercial missions require a Part 107 certificate. See FAA rules.