The 2011 ASTRAEA Conference – Opening Airspace to UAS – was held at the Royal Aeronautical Society, No.4 Hamilton Place, Mayfair, London, on Wednesday 7th September, 2011. There were presentations by Professor Brian Collins, the CAA and the British Antarctic Survey, as well as sessions covering progress in the ASTRAEA programme.
ASTRAEA is a collection of projects jointly funded by UK industry and the public sector to enable the routine use of UAS in all classes of airspace without the need for restrictive or specialised conditions of operation.
The current phase is a 3-year programme running until March 2013. It seeks to develop and demonstrate key technologies and operating procedures required to open up the airspace. The projects will take a whole systems approach covering technology requirements, system of systems integration plus regulatory requirements and engagement of the regulatory authorities.
Limited flight clearances are currently being offered for UAS operations in a number of countries. However, the ASTRAEA projects are addressing all technical aspects of certification, which are ultimately necessary to achieve full access to airspace, even in the crowded skies and high population density of the UK.
The programme was as follows:
09:30 Delegate registration & coffee
10:15 Welcome: Dr Ruth Mallors, Aerospace & Defence KTN
10:20 Introduction: Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal, ASTRAEA Programme Director
10:40 Prof. Brian Collins: Keynote Speech
11:10 David Blake, Head of Technology and Engineering, British Antarctic Survey:
A User’s Perspective
11:35 Alan Brown, Remote Sensing Manager , Countryside Commission for Wales:
A User’s Perspective
12:00 Grp Cpt John Clark, Civil Aviation Authority: A Regulator’s Perspective
12.30 Lunch
13.30 ASTRAEA Programme Presentations:
13.30 ASTRAEA Systems Approach
14.00 Autonomy
14.20 Human Factors
14.40 Coffee Break
15.10 Sense & Avoid
15.30 Communications
15.50 Panel session
16:20 Summary: Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal, ASTRAEA Programme Director
16:30 Conference Close