NASA seeks partners for urban air mobility challenge
To create safe and efficient air transport in cities, NASA plans a series of grand challenges aimed at developing urban air mobility.
NASA plans to create safe and efficient air transport in cities through a series of grand challenges to develop helping urban air mobility (UAM) capabilities, NASA said in an Oct. 15 request for information.
The first challenge, expected to be released at the end of 2020, will address fundamental issues related to UAM, such as vehicle design and the readiness of an air traffic management system. Vehicle participants will complete safety-focused scenarios that demonstrate performance in normal flights and in unexpected situations, such as the loss of an engine or motor, with the goal of moving these vehicles toward certification.
NASA, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, has developed a set of mission task elements to help identify the relationship between the aircraft performance and an integrated vehicle and airspace system that include:
- Ground handling, taxi and takeoff.
- Cruising capabilities and flight path changes.
- Landing and turnaround in a variety of conditions.
- Energy storage and battery capacity.
- Management of critical systems failures.
As system-level requirements for vehicles and airspace management systems mature, the challenges will become more complex, focusing on the integration between vehicles and airspace management around populated areas.
Future challenges will likely address key safety and integration barriers across the entire UAM ecosystem, especially operations around populated areas. Additional scenarios will address interactions between vehicles and both traditional and UAM airspace management systems; detect and avoid capabilities; handling the loss of primary communications, navigation and surveillance capabilities; and public acceptance or response to vehicles.
NASA plans to provide a test range and is currently considering hosting the grand challenge at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Unlike other grand challenges, NASA is not providing a monetary incentive, but rather seeking highly motivated participants to demonstrate prototype systems in a UAM environment.
A UAM industry day will be held Nov. 1-2 in Seattle.