NASA develops ‘air traffic control’ for unmanned aircraft

NASA is working on software to realize air traffic control for unmanned aircraft. The space agency hopes to be able to guide drones safely through inhabited areas in the long term.

The software that NASA is working on is intended for unmanned aircraft that fly up to about 150 meters high, writes The New York Times. The system should be able to safely guide drones through the airspace without direct human intervention, even if they fly in close proximity. The system also checks the weather conditions. Strong winds in particular have a negative influence on the relatively light drones.

NASA wants to build the systems in such a way that the traffic control system ensures that drones can avoid obstacles. Also ‘no-fly zones’, such as in the vicinity of airports, must be avoided.

It is still unclear how far NASA is with software development and how it will communicate with future drones. Currently, it is not allowed in the US to fly drones for commercial gain, although companies such as Google and Amazon are fully engaged in the development of unmanned aircraft, including for delivering packages.