Commercialization of Autonomous Drone-based Aircraft Inspection

Near Earth Autonomy, in partnership with Boeing and AEI, a US venture capital firm, proposes a bold step in the digital representation of aircraft by commercializing a drone-based inspection method for commercial aircraft. Digital Engineering promises to transform aviation by making the status of every component of an aircraft readily available and intelligently used in predictive and corrective maintenance. Of the overall projected $5B market in the digital maintenance and repair of aircraft in 2030, we expect an addressable market of $200M in 2026 ($500M in 2030) and projected revenues of $30M by 2026 ($125M in 2030). To this end, Boeing and AEI are committing $2M as customer/investor match and we have established partnerships with leading airlines. Inspection of aircraft by drones requires precise, safe, and rapid operation. All are made possible by autonomous operation using technology developed under a NASA SBIR related to the NASA Safe50 program. Since the original SBIR program, Near Earth has captured $8M in R&D contracts and product sales to address a diverse set of applications. Our proposed work for the CCRPP is guided by three objectives—reliability, efficiency, and scaling. Reliability is associated with the development of a minimally viable product, efficiency with value validation through extensive deployment, and scaling with establishing a path to adoption. We have established an evaluation plan and criteria for success related to each objective. The outcome of the CCRPP will be a commercialized product that engages OEMs, airlines, and third-party maintenance and repair operations through revenue-bearing contracts. The primary benefits of the proposed work for the aviation industry are increased revenue from decreased downtime, improved safety, asset life extension, and supply chain improvement. Additionally, we have identified a significant connection to NASA applications in automated Inspection, Maintenance and Repair in preparation for launch.

We note 3 potential NASA applications. First is the development of technologies for automated inspection, maintenance and repair needed for maintenance of launch vehicles. Our drone-based autonomous inspection system can be extended to inspect spacecraft, especially after lightning events on the launch pad. Second, this proposal supports NASA’s strategic thrust 5: “In-time system-wide safety assurance.” Finally, the need to operate drones at airports is tied to the objectives of NARI and FAA, especially the Partnership for Safety Plan Program.

Our primary application is in the inspection of large aircraft. A digitized record of faults and failures has the potential of revolutionizing inspection with a digital history of every unique aircraft to record and track faults like cracks, buckling, denting, and erosion of aircraft exteriors. Other applications are in the inspection of high value assets such as towers, bridges, dams and tunnels.

This is a mature technology (TRL 8) — 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.