Implementation of U-space using the example of DLR´s National Experimental Test Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Kurzfassung

With the entry into force of the Implementing Regulation 2021/664 on 26th January 2023 it is possible to implement U-space airspaces within Europe in order to allow a safe and secure integration of a large number of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the existing airspace. In consequence, this aforementioned regulation opens up numerous possibilities for new airspace users. Due to the new regulatory framework for implementing a U-space it is possible to apply the U-space implementation process developed by European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) with its three different phases “planning”, “execution”, “review” for the first time. This implementation process is described in detail within the Notice of Proposed Amendment 2021-14 (NPA 2021-14) published by the EASA in December 2021. As part of the AREA U-space (Air Space Research Area U-space) project, a U-space sandbox will be implemented at the National Experimental Test Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cochstedt, Germany. One key objective of the project is to evaluate and verify the practical feasibility of the implementation process defined by EASA. Particular challenging is the fact, that the National Experimental Test Center for UAS is simultaneously an open and active airport, as the airport Magdeburg-Cochstedt is part of the test center. With regard to the implementation of U-space, three different perspectives will be considered within the project in order to enable a holistic view for the definition of various requirement profiles for Uspace. The “Aircraft” perspective focuses on the interaction between UAS and U-space in order to increase the safety for UAS-flights in the specific category. The “Airspace Management” perspective will discuss the coordination between different airspaces and geo-zones including conflict detection and resolution between different airspace users. Finally, the “Social Acceptance and Environment” perspective will be used to validate the impact on society and the environment in order to formulate recommendations for regulators and police makers. Based on several workshops (e.g. Stakeholder Workshop) conducted in the first half of the year 2023, these three perspectives and their specific requirement towards the U-space environment will be gathered and described. Thereby, these three perspectives help to identify the necessary steps in order to develop an U-space environment at an active airport starting from the required Air Space Risk Assessment. Therefore, this publication will provide insights in how to conduct an Air Space Risk Assessment according to the aforementioned three-phase process described in EASA´s Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM) published in December 2022. In addition, a detailed view on the approach to execute an air risk management according to the GM published by EASA including the identification and communication with relevant stakeholders, the regulatory authorities, technical and operational requirements will be presented. Furthermore, an insight into the methodology how to define an appropriate performance metrics for future U-space sandboxes will be given. As a result, this publication aims to provide a step-by-step guideline in how to design, implement and commission an operational U-space environment following the EASA implementation process at a challenging geographical area (i.e. active airport) within Europe.