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High-altitude flight is\u00a0getting increasing attention from sectors ranging from telecommunications to emergency response.\u00a0To make that airspace more accessible, NASA is developing an air traffic management system\u00a0covering those altitudes\u00a0and\u00a0supplementing its work with\u00a0real-time data from a\u00a0research balloon in Earth\u2019s stratosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aircraft\u00a0at high altitudes\u00a0\u2013 50,000 feet or higher,\u00a0or\u00a0roughly 10,000 to 20,000 feet above most commercial traffic \u2013\u00a0offer new possibilities for delivering internet connectivity in regions in need of reliable service. And\u00a0they\u00a0can deliver unprecedented situational awareness for the ground below, providing early warnings for floods and other disasters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
For these types of operations,\u00a0\u201cstation-keeping,\u201d or\u00a0remaining\u00a0in the same region for extended periods of time, can be ideal for\u00a0aircraft\u00a0including balloons and airships.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
These\u00a0flights\u00a0will require a\u00a0different sort of\u00a0air traffic management system\u00a0from the ones that cover most commercial flights\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and it needs to be\u00a0dependable.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0why NASA is working to produce a system that ensures\u00a0aircraft\u00a0can\u00a0operate\u00a0safely in high-altitude airspace, with a particular focus on station-keeping.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cCurrent high-altitude air traffic management is\u00a0manual and piecemeal,\u201d\u00a0said Jeff Homola, researcher at\u00a0NASA\u2019s\u00a0Ames\u00a0Research Center\u00a0in California\u2019s Silicon Valley.\u00a0\u201cWe\u00a0saw the\u00a0need for a scalable solution \u2013 something multiple operators in a shared airspace can safely rely on.\u00a0Our system provides\u00a0shared awareness of the airspace,\u00a0identifies\u00a0potential conflicts,\u00a0enables\u00a0cooperative\u00a0conflict\u00a0resolution,\u00a0and\u00a0allows\u00a0operators to complete\u00a0missions safely.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s\u00a0expertise\u00a0and technology,\u00a0and the agency\u2019s\u00a0knowledge of the needs of the aviation industry,\u00a0put it in an ideal position to perform the work.\u00a0And NASA researchers are collaborating with the companies Aerostar and\u00a0Sceye, developers and operators of high-altitude\u00a0aircraft, to evaluate the system.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0leveraging decades of\u00a0NASA\u2019s\u00a0air traffic management expertise\u00a0to make this possible,\u201d\u00a0Homola said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This\u00a0NASA\u00a0system enables operators to share live flight data, information about their flight plans, and\u00a0potential conflict\u00a0alerts. Based on this information, operators can coordinate flight\u00a0plans\u00a0in real time.\u00a0During a\u00a02025\u00a0simulation at NASA Ames, researchers tested how efficiently\u00a0that data sharing would be among\u00a0operators\u00a0of lighter-than-air\u00a0vehicles\u00a0\u2013\u00a0both\u00a0balloons and airships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For this test, NASA,\u00a0Aerostar,\u00a0Sceye\u00a0acted as operators of high-altitude vehicles, sharing information from facilities in California, South Dakota, and New Mexico.\u00a0They were able to share flight information, as well as\u00a0telemetry\u00a0data from an\u00a0Aerostar stratospheric balloon\u00a0floating 66,500\u00a0feet above Sioux Falls, South Dakota,\u00a0at the time of the testing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0simulation built on earlier tests,\u00a0adding\u00a0improved flight-intent visualization,\u00a0conflict detection, and,\u00a0for the first time,\u00a0live flight data\u00a0from the balloon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA researchers also studied how operators make decision when planned\u00a0aircraft\u00a0trajectories overlap, which will help refine essential rules and guidelines for safer high-altitude airspace operations. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
For decades,\u00a0NASA\u00a0has biggest\u00a0air traffic management\u00a0challenges\u00a0facing the National Airspace System. NASA innovations have helped\u00a0cut fuel consumption, prevent accidents, enable\u00a0precision navigation, and lay the groundwork for today\u2019s modern air traffic management systems. This specific work builds on the initiatives\u00a0focused on\u00a0drone\u00a0operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA will share results and lessons learned from the simulation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to inform its approach to ensuring that higher airspace operations are accessible, safe, and scalable.<\/p>\n
The agency will continue advancing the high-altitude traffic management system through continued collaboration with industry partners and the FAA. NASA\u2019s goal is to create a framework that opens the door to new commercial, scientific, and humanitarian missions.<\/p>\n
This work has been supported through NASA\u2019s Air Traffic Management Exploration project. The project is part of the agency\u2019s Airspace Operations and Safety Program within its Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n