NASA is preparing to manage drone traffic

NASA announced last week that it has entered the final stage of testing its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) platform and invited media to watch drone demonstrations earlier this week. Given the increasing number of drones and safety concerns, the agency has been researching ways to manage drone traffic in urban areas. In fact, NASA currently has a pending application directed specifically to UAS traffic management. It will be interesting to see how its proprietary technology will be used to make the United States’ airspace safe and efficient for drone operations in the near future.