MCLEAN Va., - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected AURA Network Systems as an agency partner for its Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) project’s National Campaign to continue work towards integrating air taxis, cargo delivery aircraft and other new air vehicle concepts into the national airspace system (NAS).
NASA made the announcement late last week that AURA has been named an infrastructure partner for demonstrations as well as for additional communications, navigation, and surveillance flight testing activities. The agency also said that the campaign will include flight demonstrations and simulations at test sites around the country over several months, with the first full phase of testing slated for 2022.
“The National Campaign team is excited to conduct operational flight demonstrations with the first Advanced Air Mobility integrated experimental ecosystem for the urban environment that connects airspace providers, infrastructure services, and a UAM vehicle in real time,” said Starr Ginn, AAM National Campaign lead. NASA said its vision for AAM is to “help create safe, sustainable, accessible, and affordable aviation for several uses at the local and regional level.”
AURA President Tamara Casey applauded the selections: “NASA has selected an amazing team of partners to advance the future of aviation, and we are thrilled to be part of that effort. We believe AURA’s unique network provides the reach and capabilities that are well-suited for helping build a transportation system capable of serving previously hard-to-reach urban areas and rural locations.” She explained, “AURA’s coast-to-coast, private network utilizes licensed aviation-approved spectrum to deliver secure and reliable connectivity necessary for continued advancement of higher levels of autonomy in the national airspace system.”
