Tag: NASA
NASA + Uber Aerial Mobility Testing Continues
Uber and NASA are collaborating to simulate the future of eVTOL ridesharing services. According to NASA, the end goal of the collaboration with Uber is a safe and efficient air transportation system where everything from small package-delivery drones to passenger-carrying air taxis operate over populated areas – from small towns to the largest cities. Researchers at NASA’s Ames and Langley...

NASA + Uber Aerial Mobility Testing Continues

Uber and NASA are collaborating to simulate the future of eVTOL ridesharing services.
According to NASA, the end goal of the collaboration with Uber is a safe and efficient air transportation system where everything from small package-delivery drones to passenger-carrying air taxis operate over populated areas – from small towns to the largest cities.

Credit // NASA
Researchers at NASA’s Ames and Langley Research Centers are developing technologies for UAM airspace management to make large-scale operations possible. Researchers at Ames have already studied, designed and tested technologies that could soon be used for drone airspace management, even in complex urban landscapes.
In this partnership, Uber is sharing its plans for implementing an aerial mobility eVTOL rideshare network. NASA meanwhile, as America’s aeronautics research agency, is using the latest in airspace management computer modeling and data collection to assess the impacts of small aircraft in crowded environments, and begin designing management systems.
Related: Uber Air Stands Up First Flying Taxi Test Site
A series of collaborative meetings between NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Air Traffic and NextGen organizations, and Uber, are currently ongoing at NASA Ames Research Center. The focus of these meetings is to discuss near- and mid-term UAM procedures and identify top priorities in development and regulation. In fact, the Air Traffic Management Exploration (ATM-X) project’s Increasing Diverse Operations (IDO) subproject recently led a discussion on long term research needs for new entrants into the National Airspace System (NAS).

Demonstration of X2 to FAA and Uber visitors. Credit // NASA
An engineering evaluation called “X2” saw the NASA Air Traffic Management Exploration (ATM-X) Urban Air Mobility (UAM) team collaborate with Uber Elevate to run a complete simulation of eVTOL flights over Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The NASA team demonstrated the X2 simulation’s use cases such as a live connection to Uber’s simulation facilities and virtual flights. The series of 40-minute test scenarios was reported to be a success, and further simulations are already being planned..
Why it’s important: Simulating eVTOL air traffic over Dallas is a key part of beginning Uber’s aerial ridesharing services planned to begin as early as 2023. Through sophisticated simulations, Uber and NASA will allow involved parties to understand and successfully plan the management of airspace. Uber plans to conduct demonstration flights in Dallas in 2020.
Source // NASA, Uber
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Trump’s 2020 Federal Budget Funds Urban Air Mobility
President Trump recently released his proposal for the 2020 federal budget, and it bodes well for the future of the urban air mobility industry. The 2020 federal budget proposal included funding and resources to aid in the development of both unmanned air systems (UAS) and urban air mobility (UAM). These allocations are intended to support initiatives such as UAS Traffic...

Trump’s 2020 Federal Budget Funds Urban Air Mobility

President Trump recently released his proposal for the 2020 federal budget, and it bodes well for the future of the urban air mobility industry.
The 2020 federal budget proposal included funding and resources to aid in the development of both unmanned air systems (UAS) and urban air mobility (UAM). These allocations are intended to support initiatives such as UAS Traffic Management system development, research on UAS safety, and demonstrations of UAM technology. To help achieve this and make UAM a reality, funds have specifically been directed to the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Read here about research being conducted at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site in North Dakota for the Unmanned Air Traffic Management System.
The U.S. DOT budget, for example, includes provisions for innovation efforts such as the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP). The program was initially established with ten local governments and private partners to “gather data for safely advancing beyond-line-of-sight operations over people and package deliveries in selected jurisdictions and to determine future “rules of the road” for time, place and manner of drone operations,” as summarized in a writeup by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.
Further, the U.S. DOT was allocated funds to expand and maintain an automated system known as “LAANC,” the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, which has already processed 35,000 airspace authorizations for small UAS operators nationwide. Additional funds will cover the Unmanned Air Traffic Management System, the Remote Identification of UAS, and the development of safety standards. $63.1 million was requested in President Trump’s budget for the safe integration of UAS into U.S. airspace, an effort that would span multiple agencies, including the FAA.

Read more here about what the FAA, EASA, and other agencies are doing to help air taxi certification. Internationally, Cora is seeking certification with the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Image // Kitty Hawk
Additional funding for the DOT, FAA, and NASA was proposed to support the development of new, and modification of existing, regulatory standards ($7.5 million); to develop and integrate an Unmanned Traffic Management system ($130.8 million); and to assist the Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) in validating new capabilities that improve airport operating efficiency ($121.2 million). This also includes the start of a new Advanced Air Mobility project which will enable the emergence of UAM through a series of demonstrations to assess the maturity of key technologies.
Why its important: As with all technological advancements, urban air mobility must have the proper funding and federal support if we would like to see widespread adoption and implementation across the United States and the world. The proposal by President Trump, if approved, has the potential to energize the UAM industry in the U.S. and fuel its rapid expansion and acceptance.
Original story written by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.
NASA completes first steps in Urban Air Mobility Grand Challenge
NASA’s Urban Air Mobility Grand Challenge is part of a growing movement within the aviation community to develop a future urban air transport system. Here’s one artist’s rendition of how a future urban airspace might look. NASA is assessing responses to an initial Request for Information (RFI) as the first step in kicking off its Grand Challenge. Responses were due...

NASA completes first steps in Urban Air Mobility Grand Challenge

NASA’s Urban Air Mobility Grand Challenge is part of a growing movement within the aviation community to develop a future urban air transport system. Here’s one artist’s rendition of how a future urban airspace might look.
NASA is assessing responses to an initial Request for Information (RFI) as the first step in kicking off its Grand Challenge. Responses were due November 16, 2018 and served to get a better idea of what organizations are interested in participating. Participants might include air vehicle developers, air traffic management system developers, the FAA, and others. Certain consulting firms, like Booz Allen Hamilton, have already started working through select scenarios.
The RFI document, released by NASA one month earlier, stated “each participant will each be challenged to complete a series of common safety and integration scenarios”. The actual scenarios will be released after NASA finishes assessing potential participants.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilot’s Association (AOPA) has expressed interest in getting involved with the Grand Challenges. A briefing published by the AOPA declared Senior Director of Airspace, Air Traffic, and Aviation Security Rune Duke wrote to NASA, reminding them that for the Grand Challenges program, “collaboration with other airspace stakeholders will be key to success.” AOPA has repeatedly shown interest in tackling metropolitan air transport challenges. They recently published this video from the National Business Aviation conference in Orlando, Oct 2018.
Why it’s Important:
The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Grand Challenge is a multi-phase program that will, over the course of several years, identify and address the key challenges associated with accessible air transport systems in metropolitan areas. The first phase, named GC-1, will kick off the program by promoting UAM and building the public’s confidence in its safety. NASA plans to sponsor community learning and a possible flight demonstration as part of this mission.
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