SESAR JU partners finalise plans to trial sat-based air traffic control
SESAR members and partners have set out more details of their plans to demonstrate the use of low-orbit satellites for the provision of satellite-based VHF voice and data communications to manage aircraft in oceanic regions of the world.
“Mahalo” is Hawaiian for “thank you”. It is also the name that SESAR JU partners have given to their project on how to best introduce automation into air traffic management. As Stefano Bonelli, MAHALO coordinator explains, the choice of name captures both the technical description and creative spirit behind a project, which aims to make AI-enabled agents “team-players” that are capable of cooperating fully with air traffic controllers rather than just “black boxes” that output solutions when and where necessary.
Shining a light on resilience and safety in air traffic management
It is perhaps fitting that SESAR JU partners chose the Spanish word for lighthouse, FARO, as the name for their project. As Christian Verdonk Gallego, FARO Project Manager from CRIDA, explains, the project is hoping to shine a light on how changes in air traffic management systems can impact safety and resilience.
In the coming years, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) will become ever-present in our skies serving as vehicles for cargo delivery and many other important services, says Federico Corraro, CIRA. He is the coordinator of the SESAR JU URClearED project, which is investigating a critical technology to ensure that these air vehicles can go about their business safely and securely.
Plans are underway by SESAR members and partners to demonstrate the feasibility of using low-orbit satellites to provide voice communications to manage aircraft in oceanic regions of the world. The project aims to show how space-based communications navigation and surveillance technologies can help optimise air traffic while reducing the carbon footprint and maintaining safety levels.
Binoculars are still used in control towers for everyday operations. Now researchers from SESAR JU member, NLR - Netherlands Aerospace Centre, are investigating augmented reality goggles that will help controllers better manage airport traffic! The tests are part of PJ.05-W2-97 into virtual reality and AR applications in tower environments.
