Big News: We're Approved to Develop a MOPS
Aviation Industry Standards Group Green-Lights Our Request
By AURA FAA Regulatory Affairs Director Jim Williams
I'm happy to report that AURA has moved a significant step closer to securing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to utilize our communications network for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) applications.
Today [September 16, 2021], RTCA, the aviation industry’s independent Standards Development Organization, and its Program Management Committee (PMC) approved our request to create what are called new Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for UHF command-and-control (C2) links for avionics utilizing the company’s 450 MHz spectrum. You may recall that, back in January, the frequencies were authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for AURA’s use for UAS C2 applications – that authorization cleared the way for creating actual standards.
Why is this a big deal? Because RTCA’s green-light allows us to draft MOPS for review and approval by the RTCA’s Special Committee (SC)-228, initially established back in May, 2013, to develop the standards for C2 links that are critical for controlling UAS and urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft operations within the National Airspace System (NAS). I should also note that the RTCA works closely with the FAA to develop comprehensive, industry-vetted and endorsed recommendations regarding technical performance standards as well as the operating environment for those standards – which are ultimately utilized as a means of compliance with FAA regulations and other aviation regulatory authorities.
Today’s approval sets AURA on a path toward standards being finalized in July 2023, and it also paves the way for additional radio and flight testing, along with data analysis, underscoring the safety, security and reliability of AURA’s C2 links. This helps fulfill the company’s mission to deliver an FAA-compliant nationwide network designed to support all types of remotely piloted aircraft flying in the NAS.
Of course, this is only the latest milestone. In the span of just a few months, AURA not only secured the above-referenced FCC decision and FAA-ARC selection, but we were also chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a partner for its Advanced Air Mobility(AAM) project’s National Campaign to continue work towards integrating air taxis, cargo delivery aircraft and other new air-vehicle concepts into U.S. airspace. And less than two months ago, our company’s leadership secured nearly $31 million in Series A funding, which included additional resources from initial investors as well as from our own company’s management.
While I have been privileged to serve as a co-chair of the SC-228 working group and, more recently, as co-chair of the third-party services group of the FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) – charged with creating a regulatory path for routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations – I should take this opportunity to note that rarely have I seen such a promising start-up company achieve so much in so little time.
And let me also say that, after more than 40 years of experience in the aerospace sector, including almost three decades of that in service to the FAA – that’s surely saying something!