Wisk Aero has announced that it has entered a new, five-year Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement (NRSAA) with NASA.
The agreement focuses predominantly on critical research undergone by NASA’s Air Traffic Management Exploration (ATM-X) project, which looks to advance autonomous aircraft under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) in the National Airspace System (NAS).
Wisk will therefore lend its experience within the autonomous vehicle field, having developed its own autonomous electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi, with the company providing aid to help define industry standards for the introduction of autonomous aircraft in the NAS.
The research will provide regulators with information in order to consider future flight procedures and capabilities to accelerate the adoption of automated aviation technology within the US.
The two companies first began their relationship in 2020, with the ensuing years seeing collaborations on projects such as the establishment of key guidance for the safe integration of autonomous aircraft systems for UAM operations under an initial Space Act Agreement.
The agreement will also seek to establish airspace and route designs optimised for highly automated Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations, critical aircrat and ground-based safety system requirements necessary for autonomous flight in urban environments and initial Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications protocols and procedures for seamless integration of UAM aircraft.
Erick Corona, Director of Airspace Operational Integration at Wisk, said:This new, long-term agreement with NASA is a significant step forward for Wisk and the broader UAM industry.
With NASA’s simulation and LVC capabilities, we can accelerate the development of our Gen 6 autonomous systems to safely and efficiently integrate into the U.S. NAS before the end of the decade.
An initial workshop was held between both the Wisk and NASA teams this past April at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, with the two companies’ respective teams discussing how instrument flight procedures, as well as advanced technologies, could work in tandem in order to enable safe and efficient autonomous passenger flight.
Wisk and NASA will continue to conduct the research testing necessary to inform requirements and procedures for future operations throughout the five-year agreement.
