Embry-Riddle to Study Wind and Solar Power Using UAS
Photo: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
NASA has selected Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona, Florida, campus to execute research that will use unmanned aircraft systems powered by wind and solar energy flying at 50,000 to 60,000 feet altitude to augment cell towers and orbital satellites.
The $100,000 grant will allow the university to test a concept called the Dual-Aircraft Platform, where two gliders will be connected by a very strong but also thin cable, similar to how a kit-surf works, where one aircraft will act as a sail and the other will behave like a board. The goal is to have a platform that can stay airborne for years.
“Aircraft platforms that could stay stationary in the stratosphere for years, referred to as atmospheric satellites, represent a long-standing, grand challenge to the aeronautics community, and have enormous potential for societal and economic impact,” says Dr. William Engblom, head of the project. “Such platforms would diversify and expand observational capabilities — for example, NASA’s earth science missions — and communications bandwidth and availability in underserved remote areas of the United States at a fraction of the cost of orbital satellite networks. Constellations of such platforms could be integrated into the National Airspace System to facilitate inter-aircraft communications or to support aircraft navigation and surveillance.”
The program will test the Dual-Aircraft Platform against a traditional solar aircraft during a three-month mission over the Orlando, Florida, region.
NASA awarded grants to 15 entities for the phase one contract. Researchers that prove their technology is feasible can then apply for a phase two contract valued at $500,000 for two more years of concept development.
