The future of low-altitude airspace: autonomous drone delivery networks, urban logistics, and heavy-cargo drones. Comprehensive coverage of regulation, aviation law, CAAI and FAA approvals, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights, national drone initiatives and the eVTOL air-taxi revolution.
Auterion, the lead developer of the open-source PX4 flight stack, is rolling out new versions that enable real-time location sharing and moving-object tracking, aimed squarely at rescue teams and infrastructure operators.
The FAA has approved Israeli startup Flytrex to expand its drone delivery operation in Fayetteville, North Carolina, allowing flights directly over residents' homes in what is becoming the largest drone delivery operation of its kind in the United States.
Iowa-based startup Rantizo has received FAA approval to commercially operate DJI's Agras T30 spraying drone, joining a short list of companies authorized to fly agricultural drone swarms nationwide.
Autonomous drone maker Skydio has announced a $170 million Series D round led by Andreessen Horowitz, pushing its valuation past $1 billion and total funding above $340 million.
The FAA published two key rules today: Remote ID, which will make drones identifiable in real time, and new rules for flying over people - a step the industry calls a necessary condition for expanding deliveries and commerce.
The FAA has granted American Robotics approval to operate its Scout drone in fully autonomous flights with no human presence on site at all. It's the first time the requirement for a human observer on the flight line has been dropped entirely.
The National Drone Initiative, launched this year in response to the COVID-19 crisis, issued its first call for proposals this week to companies specializing in autonomous air traffic management. Percepto has already received approval for beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights at a Mekorot facility.
The COVID-19 crisis is speeding up the shift to drone-based stockpile and mine surveying, with DJI's Phantom 4 RTK platform and cloud services like Propeller Aero and Kespry leading the charge.
Amazon has received Part 135 certification from the FAA, allowing its drones to fly beyond the operator's line of sight, a critical step toward launching a commercial delivery service in the US.
Autonomous drone maker Skydio has closed a $100 million Series C round led by Next47, Siemens' investment arm, alongside the launch of its enterprise X2 drone family aimed at replacing Chinese equipment in the U.S. government market.
Following an emergency FAA waiver, Zipline drones have begun flying medical protective gear to coronavirus response teams in the Charlotte area, marking the first long-range delivery operation of its kind in controlled U.S. airspace.
UPS and CVS Health are launching a drone-based prescription delivery service for a retirement community in Florida, aiming to reduce human contact for an at-risk population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
