Feds turn to NASA for small-drone traffic plan


Associated Press

GRAND FORKS, N.D.

As the unmanned aircraft industry continues to evolve, the U.S. is depending on its space agency to help manage small drone traffic close to the Earth.

NASA is entering the second phase of a four-step plan to draw up rules of the skies for drones that weigh 55 pounds or less and fly no higher than 500 feet. The project is meant to develop performance standards for drones that would be used for commercial purposes by companies such as Amazon and Google.

The agency is hoping to present its research to the Federal Aviation Administration before 2020, John Cavolowsky, director of NASA’s Airspace Operations and Safety Program, told attendees at a drone summit in North Dakota last week.

By that time, he said, it is estimated there will be 7 million small drones in operation, including 2.6 million aircraft for commercial use.

“Those are big numbers,” Covolowsky said. “Frankly I think they are underestimating the size of the opportunity that we are going to be facing.”

The air traffic management plan, known as UTM, is a virtual system designed to help drone operators deal with weather conditions, restricted air space, airport congestion and other obstacles.

The study is looking to develop a standard way of sending and receiving flight data among drone operators and regulators.

“The biggest challenge is safety, but along with that is bringing the rest of the world with us,” said Terri Zimmerman, CEO of North Dakota-based Botlink, a cloud-based drone-operations platform. “We are going to have to overcome some perceptions and assure the rest of the world there are protocols and procedures in place.”

The second phase of the project will include testing flights beyond visual line-of-sight of the operator.