NASA Awards Xwing Contract to Develop Autonomous Flight Safety Management System

Xwing will share flight and ground operations data, algorithms, and pertinent autonomous subject matter expertise with NASA. In turn, NASA researchers will use the information to develop a safety management system (SMS) where regular pilot-less flights can be integrated into the national airspace system.

Michael Wildes

Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 04:22 PM ET

Verified

In February 2021, Xwing demonstrated a fully automated gate-to-gate operation of a Cessna Caravan turboprop retrofitted with their technology. [Courtesy: Xwing]

Key Takeaways:

NASA awarded autonomous aircraft company Xwing a contract to develop safety processes and procedures for integrating non-piloted aircraft into the national airspace system (NAS).
Xwing will share flight data, algorithms, and autonomous expertise with NASA, which will use this information to create a safety management system and study risks from new air mobility sectors like eVTOLs and drones.
The collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of autonomous flight, enhance safety, and develop crucial infrastructure and operator certification standards for future aviation.

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NASA awarded Xwing, the autonomous aircraft company, a contract to develop a set of safety processes and procedures that would make integrating non-piloted aircraft in the national airspace system (NAS) easier.

As part of the deal, San-Francisco-based Xwing will share flight and ground operations data, algorithms, and pertinent autonomous subject matter expertise with NASA. In turn, NASA researchers will use the information to develop a safety management system (SMS) where regular pilotless flights can be integrated into the NAS. Additionally, NASA will study the risks associated with the fast-growing air mobility sectors that could soon feature electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLS), autonomous and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drones.