LMI to Help NASA Prepare for Unmanned Cargo Vehicle Integration Into National Airspace

LMI will work with Georgia Institute of Technology, Crown Consulting and GRA to help NASA understand the market factors to consider when incorporating unmanned cargo vehicle operations into the national airspace system.

The partnership will conduct surveys of air cargo carriers, equipment manufacturers, Federal Aviation Administration personnel and other stakeholders in an effort to identify applications and economic factors associated with future NAS integration, LMI said Monday.

NASA's aeronautics research mission directorate plans to use study data as input for the Air Traffic Management eXploration project that aims to modernize the country's air traffic system and accommodate a demand for more air vehicles.

The research project is intended to inform the creation of a model to define the economic aspect of unmanned air cargo in both civilian and military segments of national airspace.

LMI and its partners will conduct the study under the Data Analysis and Technical Support Services contract.

“Commercial industry has developed, tested and evaluated autonomous transportation applications; this research will help enable its safe and efficient implementation in the public domain,” said Karen Goodson, director of LMI’s maintenance, distribution and operational logistics practice.