Autonomous System Technology Related Airborne Evaluation and Assessment (ASTRAEA)
ASTRAEA is a pioneering £32 million aerospace programme which is addressing key technological and regulatory issues in order to open up non-segregated airspace to unmanned autonomous aircraft. It is a joint project between the regional development authorities, the DTI and a consortium of industry partners in the UK. An essential aspect of the programme is the use of synthetic environments to support and de-risk the technology development that is required to enable UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to mix in commercial airspace with manned aircraft.
The NetCOS facility in the UK has modelled the environment around Parc Aberporth – the centre for UAV development in the UK – and the various communications models to enable experiments to be carried out on the impact of changes to communications availability latency etc. In addition, the models created for the development themes by EADS will be federated with the themes from the other consortium members to produce an integrated demonstration at the end of the development phase.
For further information, please visit http://www.projectastraea.co.uk/