LSUASC Research Goals and Objectives

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“Each proposed UAS Test Site will have airspace (range(s)) and associated land and ground infrastructure (combined Test Site) within which UAS research operations will be conducted. In this Volume (III) the FAA will be assessing Test Site proposals relative to safety, impact on NAS efficiency, environmental concerns, and the ability to manage off-nominal (e.g., not normal operations) situations to determine the viability of the Test Site for UAS research goals and UAS opportunities. While preserving opportunities to accommodate unique entrepreneurial efforts, the FAA believes that Test Sites need to include focal areas to ensure that research is accomplished in each of the areas identified as a major obstacle to UAS NAS integration. These focal areas include, but are not limited to: UAS system safety and data gathering; UAS aircraft certification; UAS command and control link issues; UAS control station layout and certification; UAS ground and airborne sense and avoid research; and, any environmental impacts associated with the operation of UAS in the NAS.”

Source: SIR 13R2 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site Selection (UASTSS), p. 21


Click here to view the roadmap for integrating civil UAS in the National Airspace System (NAS)

Click here to view the privacy requirements for the UAS test site program

Click here to view the UAS comprehensive plan

The LSUASC's research goals and objectives align with FAA focal areas:

  • System safety: LSUASC supports the FAA by reporting test-site data supporting FAA rule-making and establishing procedures to integrate UAS safely into the NAS.

  • Airworthiness: LSUASC implements and develops airworthiness processes and standards to ensure safe operations in UAS research activity, which results in statements of airworthiness for all test-site UAS.

  • Command and control link issues: LSUASC develops command and control-link solutions to operate UAS systems safely.

  • Control station layout and certification (human factors): LSUASC develops human-factors solutions for UAS control-station layout and certification.

  • Ground and airborne detect-and-avoid technologies: LSUASC develops UAS ground and airborne detect-and-avoid technologies.

  • Environmental impacts of UAS operations: LSUASC assesses environmental impacts of UAS operations at launch and recovery sites and within the volume of authorized airspace.

LSUASC team members have specific capacities focused on these FAA research needs but the center is by no means tied to these research fields alone.

  • System safety
    • Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
    • Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
    • University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute
    • AvMet Applications Inc.

  • Airworthiness
    • Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
    • Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
    • Southwest Research Institute

  • Command and control link issues
    • Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
    • University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute

  • Control station layout and certification (human factors)
    • Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
    • Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
    • Texas Tech University

  • Ground and airborne sense-and-avoid technologies
    • Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
    • Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
    • Southwest Research Institute
    • University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute

  • Environmental impacts of UAS operations
    • Southwest Research Institute