Unisphere joined the Swiss U-Space Implementation program lead by the FOCA

Unisphere, the world leading platform for flight management of unmanned aircraft joined the Swiss U-Space Implementation (SUSI) program in Switzerland under the lead of the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA).

The increase in UAV traffic has encouraged the drone industry to rethink air traffic management. The European Commission has launched the U-Space initiative, a set of decentralized services aimed at integrating drones into airspace and enabling them to coexist with manned aircraft, to address the increasing number of drones and air movements. In order to ensure transparency and to include all companies, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) has launched a project for the implementation of U-Space in Switzerland (Swiss U-Space Implementation [SUSI]). Besides Unisphere several internationally leading companies are working on products and services related to the U-Space and collaborate for timely implementation in Switzerland.

The execution of complex operations such as mapping, search and rescue, disaster relief or parcel delivery has pushed the boundaries for the operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. The specific operational risk assessment (SORA) developed by JARUS has been a great enabler to it. Looking ahead and in order to scale BVLOS drone operations, the need to integrate UAS into airspace has been recognized at international level. This awareness led to the creation of UAS Traffic Management (UTM) in the United States and its European counterpart U-Space. U-Space is a set of specific services and procedures designed to integrate UAS into airspace in a safe, efficient and sustainable manner. These services are based on a high level of digitalization and automation, the objective being to enable complex operations to be carried out with a minimum of manpower.

On 28 February 2019, Europe endorsed a set of rules and procedures for the operation of drones. They will replace the current national regulatory frameworks and the members of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will be required to implement them by mid-2020. In Switzerland, the implementation of the required technologies has already begun. The following companies had signed the MoC to pioneer the implementation of U-Space: Skyguide, Airmap, Swisscom, Involi, Sensefly, Wing, Auterion, Altitude Angel, Flarm Technology, Aurora Swiss Aerospac, Orbitalize and Unisphere.

About Unisphere:

Unisphere is a German deep tech startup founded in 2017 that is based in Konstanz. We develop leading-edge technologies to automate the flight operations of drones and air taxis. By combining digital twin technologies with pilot know-how transferred into software, our Smart 4D Trajectory enables automated flight planning, flight monitoring and post-flight analytics. The unique software solution supports commercial drone operators worldwide to scale their flight operations efficiently and safely.