On January 20th, the University of Maryland (UMD) Test Site flew the UAV Solution’s Ace XL for NOAA’s GOES-R and UAS Programs. The team conducted six flights and were successful in collecting all of the data points as per their requirements. Some of the notable maneuvers and testing included:
- Stabilized hover over a tarp to establish sensor baselines
- 1km straight line flight while holding an alternate heading and continuous altitude
- Orbiting a specific point while the aircraft maintained a heading aligned with the center point of the orbit (critical for data collection)
- Several collection runs automated into a single operation
- Ability to collect sensor data from a single location at precise altitudes
- Aircraft/payload integration testing successful
- Performed endurance testing to further refine mission limits
Project Manager Frank Padula added, “Friday was a fantastic and successful flight day. Our GOES-R data analysis is looking good from this collection. It seems we have a winning project in the making.”
The UMD UAS Test Site leverages the capabilities of the people and infrastructure in Southern Maryland and the University System of Maryland for technical and policy issues associated with UAS. UAS work by the University, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and industries throughout Maryland is supported by federal, state and local governments, as well as industry and other sectors.