NASA and War Department set to put autonomous cargo drones in the air

NASA in partnership with the U.S. War Department is set to bring routine cargo drone operations in the U.S. airspace.

The space exploration agency revealed in a press release on 12 September that it is working with the War Department to support the use of modern drones for long distance cargo transportation to boost efficiency, reduce human workload, and enhance safety.  

Successful demonstration

As part of steps to achieve the goal of using drones for cargo purposes, staff of NASA at the Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley recently participated in a live flight demonstration showing how drones can successfully fly out of sight, a concept known as beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). 

Autonomous cargo drones carried various payloads over a distance of more than 75 miles across North Dakota, between Grand Forks Air Force Base and Cavalier Space Force Station. 

Through its UAS Service Supplier (USS) technology, NASA managed to demonstrate that cargo drones could operate safely even in complex, shared airspace.

Flight data including location, altitude, and other critical data were transmitted live to the NASA system during the flight test so that the condition of the drones and their surroundings were fully monitored.

Real-time monitoring

Researchers from the collaboration between NASA and the Department of War also known as the Federal USS Synthesis Effort (FUSE), were able to test real-time tracking, situational awareness, and other factors important to safe integration of drone traffic management into U.S. national airspace. 

Todd Ericson, senior advisor to the NASA administrator said: 

“FUSE builds upon our interagency cooperation to contribute enhanced capabilities for drones flying beyond the visual line of sight. This mission is the next big step toward true autonomous flight and will yield valuable insights that we can leverage as both the commercial drone, cargo and urban air taxi industries continue to expand and innovate.”

If successful, autonomous and semi-autonomous drones could be used to transport critical medical supplies to remote locations, monitor wildfires from above, and allow customers to receive deliveries directly in their backyards, the press release said.