NASA has completed coordinated flights of two aircraft monitored by the Federal Aviation Administration’s primary surveillance radars as part of an aviation safety project.
The space agency tapped Reliable Robotics, manufacturer of the remotely piloted aircraft, to test the potential of PSR data in improving detect and avoid systems, the company said Tuesday.
Reliable Robotics joined NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign in 2021 to enhance the safety and security of unmanned aerial vehicles in the National Airspace System. The space agency obtained limited access to FAA’s PSR data in order to analyze and characterize their accuracy.
Researchers believe allowing pilots to securely access FAA’s medium and long-range PSR network will help avert mid-air collisions and significantly bolster situational awareness.
“We appreciate the close collaboration with the FAA and Reliable Robotics to collect meaningful data from flights to improve our collective understanding of using radar for DAA,” said Brad Snelling, partner chief engineer for the AAM National Campaign. “These landmark flights will help the entire AAM industry further their understanding and future use of PSR data to enhance aviation safety.”
