NOAA UAS Program conducts a Mission Concept Review in preparation for this project’s initiation.
The NOAA UAS Program conducted a Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)-Shipboard Launch and Recovery of Unmanned Aerial Systems with 15 lb Payload Capabilities Mission Concept Review on February 21th to assess the Readiness Level (RL) of the UAS, sensors and application in the operational shipboard environment. The Principle Investigator, Trish Quinn from the Pacific Marine Environment Laboratory gave a thorough briefing (attached) which included:
Mission Goals and Objectives
- Add two instruments developed by ESRL to the PMEL aerosol payload for the measurement of aerosol number size distributions and radiative properties and integrate data storage and processing software for all PMEL and ESRL instruments.
- Purchase a Latitude Engineering HQ-55, a VTOL-FW hybrid UAS (<55 lb total weight) able to carry a 15 lb payload with an endurance up to 10 hours and a climb altitude up to 14,000 ft.
- Integrate the PMEL Piccolo navigation system and aerosol payload into the HQ-55.
- Train two AOC pilots to fly the HQ-55.
- Demonstrate the shipboard launch and recovery of the HQ-55 coupled with measurements of
vertical profiles of aerosol properties relevant to air quality and climate research.