NASA and Boeing are backing a startup that uses drones to conduct what it claims are faster, safer inspections for commercial airliners.
The space agency in a blog post last week revealed it is helping Pittsburgh-based Near Earth Autonomy develop the drone-based remote aircraft inspection system under its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The partners claim the system—which Near Earth told FLYING is already in beta testing at seven defense bases nationwide—can cut inspection times from four hours to less than 30 minutes.
