Wisk Aero, a leading developer of all-electric, autonomous aircraft, has recently announced a five-year research partnership with NASA. This collaboration aims to establish advanced air mobility standards and pave the way for the introduction of autonomous aircraft into the National Airspace System (NAS).
As a subsidiary of Boeing based in California, Wisk Aero is known for its flagship model, the Cora, an all-electric aircraft that has undergone several generational advancements over the years. In 2020, the company joined NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility Project to address key industry challenges and lay the groundwork for future autonomous passenger flights.
The ongoing partnership between Wisk and NASA focuses on developing guidance for the safe integration of autonomous aircraft systems for urban air mobility operations. This week, the two entities have committed to another five years of collaboration with the goal of bringing regulated and autonomous aerial flight to the public by the end of the decade.
The refreshed partnership between Wisk Aero and NASA includes a new five-year Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement, which centers around research led by NASA’s Air Traffic Management Exploration (ATM-X) project. This project aims to advance commercialized autonomous aircraft travel under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) in the National Airspace System (NAS).
Specifically, the partnership will focus on optimizing airspace and route designs for highly automated urban air mobility operations, establishing safety requirements for autonomous flight in urban environments, and developing communication protocols for seamless integration of future UAM aircraft. Utilizing advanced simulation and Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) flight environments, the teams will work towards safely integrating autonomous systems into the US NAS by the end of the decade.
Erick Corona, Director of Airspace Operational Integration at Wisk, expressed excitement about the partnership, stating that it is a significant step forward for the UAM industry. He emphasized the importance of NASA’s simulation and LVC capabilities in accelerating the development of autonomous systems for safe integration into the NAS.
The teams from Wisk and NASA have already begun working together to determine how instrument flight procedures and advanced technologies can collaborate to enable safe autonomous passenger flights by 2030. This long-term partnership signifies a commitment to advancing the future of autonomous air mobility and ensuring the safe integration of autonomous aircraft into the national airspace system.
