How to implement U-space at an Airport – A general Overview of an Interaction and Synchronization Concept

Abstract

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), in the form of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), are a promising technology expected to be widely used in both civil and military aspects. Currently, these UAS are used in many inventive use cases, such as medical deliveries, infrastructure monitoring, search and rescue, and emergency services support. However, to increase the deployment of UAS, a safe and effective approach to coordinate with other existing airspace users is pivotal. In Europe, the U-space framework was coined from the 2016 Warsaw Declaration, enabling UAS flights at Very Low Level (VLL) in uncontrolled airspace in order to execute multiple UAS operations in an organized manner. The U-space is a digital ecosystem enabling denser UAS operations. In the frame of the Airspace REsearch Area (AREA) U-space project, initiated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in 2023, the aim is to enable complex Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) UAS operations in condensed, simulated air traffic situations involving highly automated aerial vehicles at DLR’s National Experimental Test Center for UAS in Cochstedt, Germany. Especially challenging is the fact, that this experimental test center is, at the same time, an active airport which requires innovative and unique approach to deploy a U-space ecosystem. The development of the U-space ecosystem involves a set of digital services known as U-space services. These services rely on the automation of functions designed to support UAS operators accessing the U-space airspace to conduct their UAS missions safely and efficiently together with conventional crewed airspace users. Therefore, the European Commission issued the U-space Regulation (EU) 2021/664, among other, prescribing that UAS operations in U-space are only allowed with the approval and continuous support of U-space services. To be precise, UAS operators request permissions from the applicable U-space service provider (USSP) in order to fly their missions. Thereby, any data exchanged between UAS operators and USSPs will be consolidated and distributed via a data hub known as the Common Information Service Provider (CISP). The interaction between different systems (CISP, USSP, UAS Operators, and External Service Providers) within U-space is a crucial enabler in sharing information between all stakeholders, considering the safety, security, and privacy aspects and shall be discussed in this publication. The most significant data services delivered into the CISP system are geodata, traffic data, Geographic Information System (GIS) data, and relevant metadata needed for UAS operations. In addition, Air Traffic Management (ATM) traffic data comes from the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), where 4D aircraft position data is shared with the U-space ecosystem. As a result, any USSP has the complete aircraft traffic situation available. On the one hand, this paper focuses on the interaction between the involved stakeholders by detailing unique sequence diagrams for a set of specific services. This paper proposes novel sequence diagrams for the four mandatory U-space services defined in the regulation (EU) 2021/664, i.e., remote identification, traffic information, geo-awareness, and flight authorization service from the UAS operations point of view in the desired U-space area. A detailed view on the exchanged data between the stakeholders for all four services and the sequential process per service will be given as well. On the other hand, this paper details the envisaged synchronization concept for the desired U-space area by utilizing the well-known Network Time Protocol (NTP) and describing the NTP server integration within the existing server infrastructure. The data synchronization is updated regularly in order to ensure accurate and up-to-date data at all times within the developed U-space ecosystem. In essence, this publication can be seen pivotal step for the deployment of U-space in Europe by considering the characteristics of an extremely challenging environment being an active airport in Germany.