Near Earth Autonomy Receives NASA Small Business Innovation Research Award

Under a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award granted to Near Earth Autonomy (NEA), NEA will develop systems enabling safe unmanned operation during unexpected contingencies such as GPS-denied conditions. 

The announcement noted that these UAS systems will survey crops, inspect large structures, deliver cargo, and take on fire-fighting and search and rescue. They will offer solutions for “wind disturbances, loss of power, and engine and sensor failures. The ACS will be a fully autonomous system that can discover and adapt to changes in unpredictable environments, while accomplishing the mission goals, with minimal or no human involvement.”