Nasa tests drone traffic management system in Nevada and Texas

US space agency Nasa is moving into the final phase of its four-year programme to prove that it can safely control drones flying over urban centres. Drones, less commonly called unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), are likely to form an increasing proportion of the transportation mix for future cities, but questions remain over their safety – particularly in built-up, heavily populated areas. Nasa will test them in two areas – the gambling hotspot of Reno, Nevada, and the Texan city of Corpus Christi.
February 25, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
US space agency Nasa is moving into the final phase of its four-year programme to prove that it can safely control drones flying over urban centres.


Drones, less commonly called unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), are likely to form an increasing proportion of the transportation mix for future cities, but questions remain over their safety – particularly in built-up, heavily populated areas.

Nasa will test them in two areas – the gambling hotspot of Reno, Nevada, and the Texan city of Corpus Christi.

It is partnering with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems in Las Vegas and the Lone Star UAS Center for Excellence & Innovation in Corpus Christi to carry out the trials.

The two organisations are hosting the demonstrations which Nasa hopes will prove that its UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system can manage drones safely and efficiently in an urban setting.

The drone flights will take place in and around downtown Reno between March and June, and in Corpus Christi during July and August.

"This phase 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.

Nasa and the Federal Aviation Administration say the aim is “to help the commercial drone industry understand the challenges posed by flying in an urban environment”.

The flight demos “will help inform future rules, policies and traffic management procedures for operating drones safely over populated areas”.

Technology to be assessed includes the UAS Service Supplier interface for independent UAS traffic management service providers – and Nasa will also be looking at the way these providers in turn interact with vehicle-integrated detect-and-avoid capabilities, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication and collision avoidance.

The UTM project is part of the Airspace Operations and Safety Program in Nasa's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.

Last year %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external DriveOhio false http://www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/driveohio-to-monitor-traffic-and-road-incidents-with-drones/ false false%> announced it was to use drones to understand how to manage traffic, roadway incidents and roadway conditions along the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor in a three-year project intended to complement autonomous and connected vehicle tests along the 35-mile stretch between Dublin and East Liberty.

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • European Court of Justice rules Uber as a Transport service
    December 22, 2017
    The European Court of Justice has ruled against Uber, concluding it to be a transport service, which will require it to have stricter regulation and licensing as a taxi operator within the EU. The decision follows a challenge presented by taxi drivers in Barcelona who were seeking a declaration from a court in 2014 that activities of Uber Systems Spain, amounted to misleading practices and acts of unfair competition.
    Read More
  • LA launches own ‘Green New Deal’
    August 15, 2019
    Los Angeles, once a temple to the automobile, has followed the Democrats in launching its own Green New Deal – and the city has made big pledges on urban mobility investment The Democratic Party has started something. The Green New Deal, one of whose most high-profile supporters is new congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, intends to persuade the public that swift action is necessary to combat climate change. Now the city of Los Angeles has followed suit, releasing what it calls ‘LA’s Green New Deal’.
    Read More
  • TinyMobileRobots launches tablet solution for road marker
    March 21, 2018
    Danish firm TinyMobileRobots is showing off a new tablet solution for its robot road marker at Intertraffic. The TinyPreMarker automatically lays out road lines – on motorways, airports or harbours - to an accuracy of 2cm, using a built-in GNSS receiver, the company says. Customers load the pre-marking course required on a programme such as AutoCAD. The product is compatible with CSV, DXF, GEO and LandXML data formats, which can then be transferred to the robot via USB, and the robot will then mark points
    Read More
  • Streetline showcases smart parking at ITS World Congress
    October 11, 2012
    Streetline will showcase smart parking technology that combines sensors and a suite of applications to provide cities with real time and historical data and offer flexible parking options for residents and visitors while reducing traffic congestion in downtown areas. As the company points out, cities are facing the challenge of aging infrastructure, a growing population and limited financial resources.
    Read More

Highlighted Content