diff --git a/moveit_ros/move_group/src/move_group.cpp b/moveit_ros/move_group/src/move_group.cpp
index bb9629d191..355a650251 100644
--- a/moveit_ros/move_group/src/move_group.cpp
+++ b/moveit_ros/move_group/src/move_group.cpp
@@ -290,8 +290,26 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
   const auto moveit_cpp = std::make_shared<moveit_cpp::MoveItCpp>(nh, moveit_cpp_options);
   const auto planning_scene_monitor = moveit_cpp->getPlanningSceneMonitorNonConst();
 
-  if (planning_scene_monitor->getPlanningScene())
+  if (auto ps = planning_scene_monitor->getPlanningScene())
   {
+    if (nh->has_parameter("default_planning_scene"))
+    {
+      std::string path = nh->get_parameter("default_planning_scene").as_string();
+      std::fstream file_stream;
+      file_stream.open(path, std::fstream::in);
+      planning_scene_monitor::LockedPlanningSceneRW locked_ps(planning_scene_monitor);
+      if (!file_stream.is_open() || !locked_ps->loadGeometryFromStream(file_stream))
+      {
+        RCLCPP_ERROR(nh->get_logger(), std::string("Failed to load the planning scene geometry from the file specified "
+                                                   "by the `default_planning_scene` parameter. The "
+                                                   "`default_planning_scene` parameter was set to ")
+                                           .append(path)
+                                           .append(".")
+                                           .c_str());
+
+        return 0;
+      }
+    }
     bool debug = false;
     for (int i = 1; i < argc; ++i)
     {