NASA Picks Pierce Aerospace for Bay Area Remote ID Sensor Network

Pierce Aerospace to Build Remote ID Network for NASA Across Silicon Valley and Bay Area

Metis Technology Solutions taps the Indiana firm to deploy YR1 and YR2S sensors supporting NASA’s drone and air taxi research at Ames.

Pierce Aerospace will build a Remote ID network for NASA across Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. Metis Technology Solutions selected the Fishers, Indiana firm to deploy the sensors. The companies announced the deal on May 7, 2026.

Metis is the prime contractor on NASA’s Aerospace Research Technology and Simulation (ARTS) contract. The work supports the Air Traffic Management and Safety (ATMS) project and the Aeronautics Projects Office at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

Pierce Aerospace’s Remote ID Network Goes Operational

Pierce Aerospace will field its YR1 and YR2S Remote ID sensors in a layered, networked configuration. The deployment provides regional coverage for several years.

Remote ID is the FAA’s requirement that drones broadcast a “digital license plate.” That data includes telemetry critical for the detection, tracking, and identification of uncrewed aircraft.

Pierce Aerospace began work on Remote ID in 2017. The company started fielding the technology through U.S. Air Force AFWERX SBIR awards in 2018. Earlier coverage from Dronelife noted the firm has logged more than 100 million Remote ID detections to date.

“It is an honor to support NASA’s cutting-edge research that’s at the forefront of evolving Air Traffic Management and emerging aviation technologies and aircraft through the Metis ARTS contract,” said Aaron Pierce, CEO and co-founder of Pierce Aerospace. “In addition to supporting NASA, this network of sensors can be made available to support airspace awareness for commercial and public sector stakeholders.”

Supporting Drones, Air Taxis, and Wildfire Operations

NASA’s ATMS project sits inside the broader Airspace Operations and Safety Program. The work targets safe integration of drones, air taxis, and supersonic transports into the National Airspace System.

The sensor network will feed several NASA efforts:

• Air Traffic Management and Safety (ATMS): the digital backbone for sharing the sky among package drones, air taxis, and commercial jets.

• Advanced Air Mobility Pathfinder (AAMP): eVTOL air taxi work, BVLOS research, and the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) effort focused on drone delivery, wildfire response, and public safety.

• Smart Mobility: small UAS flight operations at Moffett Field and beyond.

“Metis Technology Solutions is proud to issue a Phase III subcontract under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, establishing a partnership with Pierce Aerospace to deliver a Remote ID sensor network that will accelerate NASA’s airspace safety and research mission across Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and the Hollister Airspace Ecosystem,” said Sig Lokensgard, ARTS Program Manager at Metis Technology Solutions. “This deployment directly supports NASA’s ATMS project and the broader goals of the ARTS contract by enabling new levels of airspace awareness, data fidelity, and operational insight.”

The award marks Pierce Aerospace’s third SBIR Phase III contract under 15 U.S.C. 638 authorities.

More information is available at Pierce Aerospace.

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