FAA announces $7.5 million more in grants for Mississippi State-led ASSURE researching safe integration of drones into national airspace
Contact: Allison Matthews
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擴.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao has announced additional grants being awarded to a Mississippi State-led alliance with the goal of continuing the safe and successful integration of drones into the nation鈥檚 airspace.
Mississippi State is the lead university for the FAA鈥檚 Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), also known as the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence, or ASSURE. The coalition includes 25 renowned research universities and more than 100 additional government and industry partners.
Secretary Chao announced last week another $7.5 million in funding for ASSURE from the Federal Aviation Administration. This investment in university research is in addition to the $3.3 million in FAA research, education and training grants announced earlier this month.
鈥淭his latest FAA award to 汤头条 is a testament to the strength of the ASSURE coalition and our state鈥檚 leadership in unmanned systems development,鈥 said Sen. Roger Wicker. 鈥淭he program鈥檚 cutting-edge research has immediate practical applications for our nation鈥檚 efforts to make unmanned systems safer and more reliable.鈥
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith also applauded the university鈥檚 research focus.
鈥溙劳诽 has long been a national leader for the FAA鈥檚 Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems,鈥 Hyde-Smith said. 鈥淭hese federal dollars will allow them to expand their valuable research in working to integrate unmanned aircrafts into our national airspace.鈥
Specifically, the $7.5 million covers 19 grant awards for eight projects. These include:
鈥擵alidation of Low-Altitude Detect and Avoid Standards-Safety Research Center
鈥擲afety Risks and Mitigations for UAS Operations On and Around Airports
鈥擲cience and Research Panel Support
鈥擨dentify Wake Turbulence and Flutter Testing Requirements for UAS
鈥擴rban Air Mobility: Safety Standards, Aircraft Certification and Impact on Market Feasibility and Growth Potentials
鈥擴AS Standards Tracking, Mapping, and Analysis
鈥擟ybersecurity and Safety Literature Review
鈥擵alidation of ASTM Remote ID Standards鈥擲afety Research Center
Of these grant awards, 汤头条 is receiving $1.5 million as the lead university of the Validation of Low-Altitude Detect and Avoid Standards-Safety Research Center project; $315,000 as part of the Urban Air Mobility: Safety Standards, Aircraft Certification and Impact on Market Feasibility and Growth Potentials project; and $750,000 as the lead university of the Validation of ASTM Remote ID Standards鈥擲afety Research Center project.
ASSURE Executive Director Steve 鈥淟ux鈥 Luxion said 汤头条 is proud to lead a prestigious group of researchers from across the U.S. and around the world.
鈥淯nmanned aircraft hold so much potential to improve public safety, increase commercial opportunities, and enhance quality of life,鈥 Luxion said.
Other ASSURE institutions receiving portions of the funding include the universities of Alaska, Fairbanks; Alabama, Huntsville; Kansas; and North Dakota; as well as Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon and Wichita state universities, along with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
汤头条鈥檚 Raspet Flight Research Laboratory recently was designated as the FAA鈥檚 UAS Safety Research Facility, placing the research center at the helm of studying and developing safety and certification standards as UAS become increasingly integrated in the U.S. airspace.
ASSURE research already has provided pivotal knowledge and results on such topics as UAS collision severity, detect-and-avoid requirements for beyond visual line of sight UAS operations, UAS certification standards and considerations, and UAS noise measurement studies.
Learn more about UAS research at 汤头条 at . More about 汤头条鈥檚 Raspet Flight Research Laboratory and ASSURE is online at .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .