Parimal Kopardekar, Ph.D. NASA Senior Technologist, Air - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Parimal Kopardekar, Ph.D. NASA Senior Technologist, Air Transportation System, and UAS Traffic Management Principal Investigator 1

• Overview • Architecture • Approach and schedule • FAA-NASA Research Transition Team deliverables • Progress and next steps • Summary 2

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• Small UAS forecast – 7M total, 2.6M commercial by 2020 • Vehicles are automated and airspace integration is necessary • New entrants desire access and flexibility for operations • Current users want to ensure safety and continued access • Regulators need a way to put structures as needed • Operational concept being developed to address beyond visual line of sight UAS operations under 400 ft AGL in uncontrolled airspace using UTM construct 4

• UTM is an “air traffic management” ecosystem for uncontrolled airspace • UTM utilizes industry’s ability to supply services under FAA’s regulatory authority where these services do not exist • UTM development will ultimately identify services, roles/responsibilities, information architecture, data exchange protocols, software functions, infrastructure, and performance requirements for enabling the management of low-altitude uncontrolled UAS operations UTM addresses critical gaps associated with lack of support for uncontrolled operations How to enable multiple BVLOS operations in low-altitude airspace? 5

• FAA maintains regulatory AND operational authority for airspace and traffic operations • UTM is used by FAA to issue directives, constraints, and airspace configurations • Air traffic controllers are not required to actively “control” every UAS in uncontrolled airspace or uncontrolled operations inside controlled airspace • FAA has on-demand access to airspace users and can maintain situation awareness through UTM • UTM roles/responsibilities: Regulator, UAS Operator, and UAS Service Supplier (USS) • FAA Air Traffic can institute operational constraints for safety reasons anytime Key principle is safely integrate UAS in uncontrolled airspace without burdening current ATM 6

Principles Key UAS-related services  Users operate in airspace volumes as  Authorization/Authentication specified in authorizations, which are  Airspace configuration and static and issued based on type of operation and dynamic geo-fence definitions operator/vehicle performance  Track and locate  UAS stay clear of each other  Communications and control (spectrum)  UAS and manned aircraft stay clear of  Weather and wind prediction and sensing each other  Conflict avoidance (e.g., airspace  UAS operator has complete awareness of notification) airspace and other constraints  Demand/capacity management  Public safety UAS have priority over other  Large-scale contingency management UAS (e.g., GPS or cell outage) 7

UAS Operator Regulator/Air Navigation Service Provider • Assure communication, navigation, and • Define and inform airspace constraints surveillance (CNS) for vehicle • Facilitate collaboration among UAS operators for de-confliction • Register • If future demand warrants, provide air • Train/qualify to operate traffic management • Avoid other aircraft, terrain, and • Through near real-time airspace control obstacles • Through air traffic control integrated with • Comply with airspace constraints manned aircraft traffic control, where • Avoid incompatible weather needed Third-party entities may provide support services but are not separately categorized or regulated 8

W IND & W EATHER I NTEGRATION W IND & W EATHER I NTEGRATION • Operator responsibility, may be provided by • Operator responsibility, may be provided by third party third party • Actual and predicted winds/weather • Actual and predicted winds/weather • No unique approval required • No unique approval required 9

• Overarching architecture • Low SWAP DAA • Scheduling and planning • Vehicle tracking: cell, satellite, • Dynamic constraints ADS-B, pseudo-lites • Real-time tracking integration • Reliable control system • Weather and wind • Geo-fencing conformance • Alerts: Operations Vehicle • Safe landing • Demand/capacity alerts Considerations Considerations • Cyber secure communications • Safety critical events • Priority access enabling • Ultra-noise vehicles (public safety) • Long endurance • All clear or all land alerts • GPS free/degraded conditions • Data exchange protocols • Autonomous last/first 50 feet • Cyber security operations • Connection to FAA systems 10

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UTM Architecture UTM Inter-data Supplemental Data Service Supplemental Data Service NAS Data Sources provider Supplemental Data Service Provider communication Provider Provider and coordination Terrain Common data Weather Surveillance Performance NAS state Constraints, Directives F light Inter-USS U AS UAS Service UAS Service National Airspace Requests, Decisions communication I nformation S ervice Supplier Supplier and coordination System - ATM NAS impacts M anagement S upplier (USS) Operations, Deviations S ystem (FIMS) - FAA Operations Constraints Modifications Operation requests Notifications Real-time information Information Color Key: ANSP Function Public UAS UAS UAS Public … Safety Operator Operator Operator Operator Function Other Stakeholders Industry FAA Development & Development & UAS UAS UAS UAS UAS UAS UAS UAS UAS Deployment Deployment 12

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C APABILITY 1: D EMONSTRATED HOW TO ENABLE MULTIPLE C APABILITY 3: F OCUSES ON HOW TO E NABLE M ULTIPLE O PERATIONS U NDER C ONSTRAINTS H ETEROGENEOUS O PERATIONS – Notification of area of operation • Beyond visual line of sight/expanded – Over unpopulated land or water • Over moderately populated land – Minimal general aviation traffic in area • Some interaction with manned aircraft – Contingencies handled by UAS pilot • Tracking, V2V, V2UTM and internet connected Product: Requirements for heterogeneous operations Product: Overall con ops, architecture, and roles C APABILITY 2: D EMONSTRATED H OW TO E NABLE E XPANDED C APABILITY 4: F OCUSES ON E NABLING M ULTIPLE H ETEROGENEOUS H IGH D ENSITY U RBAN O PERATIONS M ULTIPLE O PERATIONS • • Beyond visual line of sight Beyond visual line-of-sight • • Urban environments, higher density Tracking and low density operations • • Autonomous V2V, internet connected Sparsely populated areas • • Large-scale contingencies mitigation Procedures and “rules -of- the road” • • Urban use cases Longer range applications Product: Requirements for multiple BVLOS operations Product: Requirements to manage contingencies in high including off-nominal dynamic changes density, heterogeneous, and constrained operations Risk-based approach: depends on application and geography 14

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• Near-term priorities Key RTT Deliverables (FAA needs) – Joint UTM Project Plan (JUMP) – Tech transfer - to FAA and industry December 2016 (Completed) Concepts and requirements for data exchange and – RTT Research plan – January 2017 architecture, communication/navigation and – UTM Pilot project – April 2017-2019 detect/sense and avoid Cloud-based architecture and Conops • Execution Multiple, coordinated UAS BVLOS operations – March 2016 – December 2020 Multiple BVLOS UAS and manned operations Multiple operations in urban airspace Tech transfer to FAA Flight Information Management System prototype (software prototype, application protocol interface description, algorithms, functional requirements) FAA-NASA Key RTT Deliverable Joint FAA-NASA UTM Pilot Program RTT will culminate into key technical transfers to FAA and joint pilot program plan and execution 1 16

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UTM TCL 2 Demonstration (October 2016 at Reno-Stead) Live-Virtual Constructive Environment Operational Area Altitude Stratified Operations Situation Awareness Displays SRHawk Radar Critical alerts, operational Used to detect small plan information and map UAS displays Weather 5 Equipment 3 2 30 ft weather tower, sodar and lidar are used to measure atmospheric Visual Line of boundary layer Expanded Simultaneous Reno-Stead Airport Sight LSTAR Radar Operations Flights up to 1.5 Hypothetical Used to detect miles away from missions based on manned aircraft industry use cases the pilot in command 18

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UTM TCL 1 and TCL 2 Demonstration Objectives TCL 1 Evaluate the feasibility of multiple VLOS operations using scheduling and planning through an API connection to the UTM research platform TCL 2 Evaluate the feasibility of multiple BVLOS operations using a UTM research platform 20

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TCL 1 August 2015 UAS Range Elevation: 166 feet MSL Flat Agricultural Farmland Operations at 2 Locations Acoustic Sensors Weather Sensors SRHawk Radar 100 ft Weather Tower Used to detect small Radiosonde Weather Balloon UAS Remote Automated Weather Station 22

UTM TCL 1 Demonstration Highlights Days of Flight 8 11 Partner Organizations 2 Simultaneous VLOS Operations 10 UAS Platforms 4 108 18 Test Conditions Flights Flight Hours 23