Corpus Christi’s urban landscape will serve as a backdrop for a drone testing project between NASA and the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Lone Stone Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center for Excellence & Innovation. A Lone Star scientist works with a drone in the city’s Cole Park recently. Courtesy photo
NASA has selected Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi as one of two sites in the nation to test drones in urban management. The Lone Star Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence & Innovation at TAMU-CC was selected by NASA’s UAS Traffic Management project to test a variety of safety features as part of its study of drone technology.
| “This series of tests is a critical step in enabling the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems within an urban environment,” said Mike Sanders, acting executive director of the Lone Star UAS Center. “We look forward to working with NASA’s Ames Research Center, the city of Corpus Christi and its first responders, the Corpus Christi International Airport, the Port of Corpus Christi as well as the many partners across Texas and the United States.” Testing begins this summer, focusing on drone communication, collision avoidance, safe landing, and safety in an urban landscape. |
“Our (program) represents the most complicated demonstration of advanced UAS operating in a demanding urban environment that will have been tested to date,” said Ronald Johnson, NASA UTM project manager. “For the commercial drone industry to really advance, they need to see the results of this testing to understand the opportunities and challenges posed by flying in an environment where communications, GPS navigation, micro-weather, tall buildings, and community acceptance all present hurdles to everyday, safe operation.”
NASA works closely with the Federal Aviation Administration on conducting drone field testing. The Lone Star UAS Center was named in 2013 as one of six in the nation working with the FAA on testing and legislation regulating drones to ensure safety in the skies while also allowing for civil and business opportunities using drones.
The TAMU-CC group first partnered with NASA in 2017 to work on emergency landings, weather sensing, and no-fly zones, all without pilots.
