EDA and ESA sign Arrangement on UAS demonstration project

Gary Mortimer

edaesa — In the centre: Ms. Claude France-Arnould, EDA's Chief executive, Mr. Jean-Jacques Dordain is ESA's Director General, and Magali Vaissière, ESA Director for Telecommunication and Integrated Applications

On 15 December, Claude-France Arnould, EDA Chief Executive, and Magali Vaissière, ESA Director for Telecommunication and Integrated Applications, signed an Arrangement on a demonstration project for an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)-based mission. It represents the first jointly funded activity since the entry into force of the Administrative Arrangement between EDA and ESA on 20 June 2011. The project with a value of 1.2 M€ aims at demonstrating the benefits of space for UAS-based services and for the safe insertion of UAS in non-segregated airspace.

The project is part of EDA’s UAS Air Traffic Insertion work strand. It also forms part of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems programme element (Artes 20) dedicated to the development and promotion of applications and services that use space systems with the objective to establish sustainable operational solutions.

The main objectives of the project are to:

Demonstrate the safe insertion of UAS in non-segregated airspace using satellites, identify issues and required procedures, and provide early inputs to regulatory bodies.
Demonstrate to the user community that UAS supported by satellites and flying in non-segregated airspace can fulfil their needs.

The Invitation to tender for the project is planned to be issued in early 2012. More information will be made available in due course under http://emits.esa.int.