A Ruggedized UAS for Scientific Data Gathering in Harsh Environments

Black Swift Technologies proposes to expand the capabilities of the S2 XT volcanic sampling system, a novel small UAS that meets the sensing needs required for responding to or monitoring volcanic ash clouds. With Phase II-E, BST will adapt the existing fixed wing aircraft for vertical takeoff and landing in high winds while maintaining the ability to operate in the difficult environment of volcanic plumes. This will greatly increase the utility of the Phase II system to meet the demanding requirements of nomadic scientific field campaigns. This will also allow operations in almost any area on Earth using this unique and expandable sensor suite. This capability will be proven with a flight campaign to the difficult to reach Makushin Volcano in Alaska. Phase II-E work will also include providing the ability to downlink and visualize data from any of the 12 existing sensors and provide interfaces to easily and quickly replace or add new sensors, providing a powerful capability for scientists to direct aircraft in real-time based on measurements. The atmospheric models that are employed by dispersion studies provide information that can affect human safety. Examples not only include volcanic ash aviation hazards, but pollution alerts, toxic releases, dust storms and wildfire smoke hazards that often depend on the accuracy of these models. Accurate data input and model validation are needed for these important safety systems. Even basic atmospheric conditions such as wind and temperature are estimated or modeled from nearest weather stations that could be far from the location of interest. Ground systems, manned aircraft, balloons and even dropsondes supply this data but have limitations. Satellites such as ASTER, MODIS, AIRS and OMI are invaluable but can still suffer from infrequent coverage, cloud masking and limits in resolution. The VTOL S2 XT will be designed to collect data in these harsh environments for NASA and other groups.

Key potential customers within the NASA Earth Science program include the Tropospheric Chemistry Program (TCP), the Applied Sciences Air Quality Program, the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission, the Aura mission, the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS), the Orbital Carbon Observatory (OCO-2/3) programs, and the Earth Ventures program for airborne field campaigns. BST will also continue to work with smaller programs at JPL focused on volcanic observations.

Key potential customers in other government agencies include USGS, NOAA, DOE, and the National Weather Service. The ability of this system to operate in the hazardous environments can be utilized in wildfire monitoring and support, where particulates and severe turbulence are a regular occurrence. There is also a commercial market for the multi-hole probe sensor developed as part of this work.

This is a mature technology (TRL 9) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.