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Drones in flight in Reno, Nevada.
eight arm large drone on ground with historic unskinned hangar one in background at Ames Research Center
NASA's concept of a UTM system, managing various commercial and public safety missions

UAS Traffic Management Project


Editor’s note: This project has concluded. This content is being kept online for historical purposes, but is no longer being updated.
The UAS Traffic Management (UTM) project conducted research to make it possible for small unmanned aircraft systems, commonly known as “drones,” to safely access low-altitude airspace beyond visual line of sight. The project’s focus was a series of field demonstrations that included partners from the Federal Aviation Administration, industry and academia, and that tested technologies for an eventual traffic management system.

Learn More About the UTM Project about UAS Traffic Management Project

project manager

Ron Johnson

deputy project manager

Jaewoo Jung

A Story for Axel: Big Ideas for Better Air Mobility with Drones of all Sizes

In this essay from 2021 — which was originally presented as a three-part web feature — NASA Aeronautics’ senior writer Jim Banke tells his newborn grandson, Axel, the story of how two recently concluded major air traffic management research projects by NASA will help achieve a long-held vision for the future of aviation.

Read this Story About NASA's Air Traffic Solutions
A man holds a baby who is imagining a future vision for aviation.
As NASA Aeronautics senior writer Jim Banke tells his grandson, Axel, about two recently concluded research projects involving drones large and small, Axel appears to be imagining what the major elements of that future as told to him by his grandpa might be.
NASA/ Jim Banke, Lillian Gipson

UTM News

Read the stories that tell about NASA's work in the UAS Traffic Management (UTM) Project.

What is Air Traffic Management eXploration?
7 min read

Transforming air traffic management to accommodate new air vehicles and demand for increased mobility Operators of new and emerging aircraft…

Article
Wildfire Workshop Finds Ways NASA Aero Tech Can Fight Fires
3 min read

Wildfires in the United States are bigger, increasingly dangerous, and more costly than ever before. California and other states are…

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What is Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management?
5 min read

NASA is working to safely integrate drones into low-altitude airspace. Ever wonder what the skies will look like in the…

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A Story for Axel: Big Ideas for Better Air Mobility with Drones of all Sizes
22 min read

In this essay from 2021 — which was originally presented as a three-part web feature — NASA Aeronautics’ senior writer…

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A Story for Axel: Small Drones, Big Ideas for Better Air Mobility
10 min read

This is the final part of a three-part series in which NASA Aeronautics’ senior writer Jim Banke tells his newborn…

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A Story for Axel: Detect and Avoid, Command and Control
8 min read

This is the second of a three-part series in which NASA Aeronautics’ senior writer Jim Banke tells his newborn grandson,…

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A Story for Axel: NASA Drone Projects Achieve Critical Early Work
6 min read

This is the first of a three-part series in which NASA Aeronautics’ senior writer Jim Banke tells his newborn grandson,…

Article
UTM NASA Technical Documents, Papers and Presentations
22 min read

NASA Technical Documents, Papers and Presentations (listed by calendar year, then alphabetically by first author) 2021 Technical Papers and Reports MAAP…

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UAM Vision Concept of Operations (ConOps) UAM Maturity Level (UML) 4
2 min read

Now Available to the Public NASA’s Vision Concept of Operations for its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Maturity Level-4 was recently…

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Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) drone flights at Moffett Field
1 min read

In June and August 2020, researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California conducted Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) flight tests…

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Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management (UTM) Awarded 2020 NASA Government Invention of the Year
1 min read

A NASA patent for traffic management of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) vehicles was awarded the 2020 Government Invention of the…

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One Word Change Expands NASA’s Vision for Future Airspace Mobility
6 min read

NASA’s aeronautical innovators are embracing a more inclusive vision for the future of air travel in at least one major…

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