Air taxi developer Archer Aviation has announced a new partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which will initiate their mutual research into future advanced air mobility (AAM) applications with what they see as the lynchpin of the new tech’s performance – powerful but safe batteries.
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To understand how uncrewed vehicles avoid each other and other obstacles, researchers at NASA recently flew multiple drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). The test is being seen as an important step towards advancing self-flying capabilities for air taxis.
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On April 19, 2021, the Ingenuity helicopter earned the title of the first powered flight on another planet. Nearly two years later, the helicopter has completed its 50th flight on Mars. Was this longevity expected?
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Aviation experts at NASA are preparing the tools that will be needed for safe and easy navigation of future air taxis and drone services, and to facilitate that work they’ve teamed up with advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft developer Joby.
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Virginia-based long-endurance tilt-wing drone specialist Advanced Aircraft Company (AAC) has been tapped by NASA to develop a UAV it has designed that pivots the propellers to shift from vertical liftoff to horizontal flight thrust in a more effective manner than existing methods used on most air taxis being developed.
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Remotely piloted drone tech and services company Skypersonic has made delivery of its specially designed and tested hardware and software package to NASA for use in a year-long simulated Mars mission.
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NASA has awarded a small business grant to the University of Cincinnati (UC) to develop better autonomous navigation for drones.
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Detroit-based drone inspection company Skypersonic has further prepared for its role in a simulated NASA Mars mission by testing its hallmark remote UAV and rover piloting system during trials on the Martian-esque terrain of Italy’s volcanic Mt. Etna.
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Instant logistics and drone delivery specialist Zipline has entered a partnership with US space agency NASA to examine the future operation of UAVs and advanced air mobility (AAM) craft and services, particularly those using multiple autonomous vehicles at once.
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We’re working toward a future where passenger air taxis and drone deliveries are to become a part of everyday mobility. But how will these autonomous systems access important information, such as deteriorating weather conditions, to complete each flight safely? To address this issue, NASA researchers are exploring the creation of a decentralized data and reasoning hub that would help autonomous aircraft to make critical safety decisions rapidly.
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NASA has partnered with other US agencies and a Colorado-based drone manufacturer to create a UAV-based system to observe volcanoes for indications of what otherwise might be unexpected, catastrophic eruptions for local communities.
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If you’re a drone pilot, you likely know there are certain risks you take on when flying through a fog. In some circumstances, the fog may trigger the drone’s obstacle avoidance sensors or prevent it from descending because the aircraft starts to think of the fog as a landing spot. Then, why on earth are NASA engineers flying drones in fog so thick, you can’t see three feet in front of you?
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Between the Dixie, Caldor, McCash, and Windy fires, Northern California has been witnessing a busy wildfire season. And this time, the firefighters on the ground are being shadowed by a crew from NASA. Their aim? To watch and learn how drones help to battle the blazes from above.
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The FAA is trying to raise awareness among drone pilots about NASA’s CALLBACK Aviation Safety Reporting system, which allows drone pilots (and others) to anonymously submit safety-related incidents. The database also allows you to view other submitted incidents, hopefully allowing readers to learn from the mistakes of others.
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A new agreement between NASA and aviation services company, The Longbow Group, is expected to result in the establishment of beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight corridors for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) drone flight tests in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
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What is the best way for a local government to integrate cargo delivery drones and passenger air taxi services into its existing civic transportation infrastructure? In the United States, five local and state governments will soon find out, with help from NASA.
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Earlier this morning Ingenuity took off for the fourth and most daring flight of its campaign. It took several hours for flight data to be received by the JPL team but all signs look that it was a successful flight.
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NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has wowed us from Earth with its first flights over the Red Planet. After just 3 flights the tech demo has completed all of its test objectives and will now push the envelope for what it can do.
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After the success of its first flight at the beginning of this week, Ingenuity took its second flight early this morning. This flight pushed the tech demo to do more challenging tasks as they step through their testing campaign this month.
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Today, during a press briefing on the first flight of Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, new information was revealed for the upcoming flight of Ingenuity. This first flight is currently targeting April 8th. When Perseverance first touched down, they determined that it landed right on the edge of an acceptable flight zone for Ingenuity.
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NASA recently got through the final stage of its drone testing program to find the best solution to allow drones to fly in crowded airspace. The testing is in partnership with the FAA and three industry partners to show potential commercial applications using different size drones in various locations and different airspace classes.
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Drone software company Pix4D has created an impressive 3D model of NASA’s Perseverance rover‘s landing site. The 3D model was created using the landing footage NASA provided to the public and Pix4D’s Pix4Dmapper software.
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NASA’s Ingenuity Mars drone recently landed on Mars with the Perseverance rover. It is now preparing to take its first flight on the Martian planet. The downlink was received shortly after the landing, indicating the helicopter and base station are working correctly.
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If you stop and think about it, space explorations all involved unmanned vehicles. Most of them are programmed to carry out their maneuvers autonomously. In our mind, that qualifies them as drones. And today, in a testament to the power of engineering and hard work, NASA’s Perseverance is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet.
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