In July 2019 the VUTURA U-space project successfully demonstrated safe drone operations within the total air traffic network. Our safety concept and specific operation risk assessment (SORA) received approval by the Dutch Aviation Authority without any iterations.
Unisphere enabled the following Firsts for drone operations in the Netherlands:
- BVLOS drone operation (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) within an Airport Controlled Traffic Region (CTR) above 45 m
- BVLOS operation of a large multicopter above the densely populated campus of the TU Delft
VUTURA is a SESAR project supporting U-space, the European vision for the safe, secure and efficient handling of drone traffic and a key enabler for the growing drone market to generate economic and societal benefits.
VUTURA has four major goals:
(1) Validate the use of shared airspace between existing airspace users (manned aviation) and drones
(2) Validate that more than one U-space Service Provider (USP) can provide U-space services in a specific airspace, and the procedures to manage the drone flights, including the involvement of Air Traffic Control (ATC)
(3) Ensure that the developments within SESAR and the services of commercial USP’s are aligned and contribute to proposals for aligning these (if needed) and for regulation and standardization
(4) Increase the pace by which European cities and companies exploit emerging technologies related to drones. This will improve quality of life in cities, create concrete socio-economic outcomes and help European companies to take a leading position in the new smart city market.
Unisphere integrates multiple drone operators and U-Space providers into the existing framework for risk assessment of drone operations. Obtaining early operational experience on the application of U-space through SESAR is key to enable these services to become an aviation authority approved thread barrier for future drone operations.
Do you have a drone and/or an application in a complex environment but face a seemingly impossible approval process? Challenge us!