Air Traffic Control

With Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin having sent their first full passenger flights into space, the Federal Aviation Administration is demonstrating that it's taking space tourism seriously by opening a new center to monitor commercial space launches.

Commercial drone networks need some structure, so Nanyang Technological University is developing an air traffic control system for drones in Singaporean airspace, exploring ideas like geofencing, designated flight lanes and ground stations that track all airborne UAVs.

ESA has announced that its Proba-V satellite has successfully picked up signals from thousands of aircraft around the globe. The findings of the mission could pave the way for a more accurate air traffic control system.

Small airports often don't have much traffic because they don't have an adequate tower system, and they don't have an adequate tower system because they don't have much traffic. The opening of the world's first remotely operated air-traffic control system could change that.

It's been more than a year in the making but it seems that the regulatory wheels are beginning to turn on Amazon's bold plans for drone delivery. The FAA has today granted the online retailer permission to start testing its unmanned aircraft as part of its Prime Air initiative.

In the latest move towards opening up skies in the US for commercial drones, NASA and aerospace company Exelis have teamed up to develop a prototype air traffic control system.

If autonomous delivery drones are ever going to see widespread use, then they can't simply fly around with no regard for other aircraft. That's why researchers from RMIT University have developed a system that lets drones communicate with air traffic controllers using a synthesized voice.

As with all tech, the tools used for air traffic control are always improving. Recently, for example, it was announced that the first remote air traffic control tower would open in Sweden. In a smaller evolution, NASA has provided the FAA with software to better manage the spacing between planes.