Google is Quietly Testing Delivery Drones With Help From NASA

(Source: The Guardian)  

Google has been quietly testing its drone delivery program in US airspace and is planning further tests in rural California after striking a deal with Nasa, the Guardian has learned.

Documents seen by the Guardian also reveal technical details of Google’s drone, which is capable of speeds of up to 100 mph and weighs less than 25kg (55lb). The papers also reveal Google’s safety plans should a drone lose contact with its operator.

The US currently has a blanket ban on the commercial operation of unmanned aircraft. When Google revealed its experimental delivery drones, code-named Project Wing, a year ago, a promotional video showed a farmer in rural Australia receiving a packet of dog treats by air.

Companies wanting to take to America’s spacious skies need special permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), involving onerous requirements such as having a licensed pilot control the drone.

However, documents show Google has been skirting these rules by flying its Project Wing aircraft over private land in the US in cooperation with Nasa. For more than a year, Google has been quietly operating its drones in America under Nasa’s Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA), a program originally intended for government agencies.

COAs let public organisations like the military, state universities and police or fire departments experiment with unmanned aerial systems (UAS), as long as they meet safety standards. But COAs come with restrictions. FAA regulations state that a public agency must own or exclusively operate the drone in question, and that commercial operations are prohibited.

COAs are not routinely made public, in contrast to the waivers issued to commercial companies, called “333s” after a section of the FAA regulations. It is widely known, for instance, that Amazon was issued a 333 exemption in April for research and development of its Prime Air delivery drones.

“I don’t think this kind of public-private cooperation is happening with high regularity,” said Diana Cooper, head of the unmanned aerial systems and robotics practice group at Canadian law firm LaBarge Weinstein. “But there aren’t too many stats out there.”

Both Nasa and Google declined to comment on the collaboration, although the Guardian has obtained a Space Act Agreement that says: “Nasa and Google will conduct joint field tests of UASs … where Nasa may issue certificates of approvals to operate.”

The latest trials will be used to see whether cellphone signals can be used by low-flying drones for automatic air traffic control. According to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week and seen by the Guardian, Google wants to carry out demonstrations and tests on a remote stretch of privately owned land near Merced, California. The experiments, which Google thinks might last up to six months, involve transmissions on the 4G and LTE radio frequencies used by all the major cellphone companies in America, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon.

Continue Reading at TheGuardian.com…