Recommendation: 

NASA Advisory Council Recommendation 

Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management 

2014-01-01 (AC-01) 

The Council recommends that in order to safely enable widespread civilian Unmanned Aerial System 

(UAS) operations at lower altitudest advanced research and prototyping of an Air Traffic Management 

(ATM)-like system is needed. NASA is currently exploring the functional designt concept and 

technology development for such a prototype UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system. The Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA) and a number of partners have expressed an interest in working with 

NASA in exploring the research, development, prototypingt testing and possible implementation of such 

a system. The Council recommends that the NASA Administrator and all NASA organizations involved 

in the development and sustainment of agreements and partnerships be proactively engaged in reducing 

implementation barriers and provide any necessary tools to enable the innovative partnerships that will 

be required for the realization of U1M. NASA should make this a high priority for the Agency given 

the urgency warranted by such a system. 

Major Reasons for Proposing the Recommendation: 

Many civilian applications ofUAS have been imagined, ranging from operations in remote areas to 

congested urban areas, including goods deliveryt infrastructure surveillance, agricultural support, and 

medical services delivery. Class G airspace (up to 2000 feet) is currently uncontrolled (not under the 

current Air Traffic Control system) and key infrastructure to enable and safely manage widespread use 

of low-altitude airspace and UAS operations therein does not exist. NASA is exploring concepts and 

technology development for a prototype UTM system, in close coordination with the FAA and National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that will support safe and efficient UAS operations 

for the delivery of goods and services. Public-private-academia relationships are expected (and 

necessary) to help define and develop such a UTM system. 

Consequences of No Action on the Proposed Recommendation: 

The Council is concerned that without sufficient Agency support and focus from relevant NASA 

organizations (e.g., procurement, General Counselt research centers, etc.), the agility and flexibility 

required for NASA to develop the complex UTM system will be compromised, leading to insufficient 

progress and ultimately impacting results. 

NASA Response: 

NASA concurs with the Council on the criticality of partnerships to the future successful 

implementation of a system such as the UTM. NASA agrees that this area has enormous potential to 

increase the utility and safety of unmanned aerial systems if we can address the significant uncertainties 

surrounding their deployment and certification. NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate will 

continue to proa.Ctively engage as appropriate with other relevant NASA organizations (such as the 

Office of General Counsel, Office of Procurement, and the NASA research centers) in the development 

of innovative partnership agreements which are crucial to this effort. NASA management across the 

Agency remains committed to fostering partnerships as can be evidenced by the emphasis on expanding 

partnerships contained within the 2014 NASA Strategic Plan. 

Enclosure 1