Implementation of U-space Test Environment at the National Experimental Test Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems of the German Aerospace Center: Development of an Utilization Concept to Extend Testing Possibilities for Innovative Air Mobility

Kurzfassung

U-space, as a digitalized ecosystem for unmanned air traffic, enables safe and secure integration of numerous Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the existing airspace. To offer a testing environment for research as well as industrial partners the German Aerospace Center (DLR) initiated the internal research project AREA U-space (Air Space Research Area U-space) in order to implement a U-space sandbox at the National Experimental Test Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems at DLR Cochstedt. Besides the integration of the four mandatory services being network identification, geoawareness, flight authorization and traffic information service, services of higher Uspace levels will be implemented as well. The higher levels of U-space, U3 - Advanced services and U4 - Full services, represent the evolution of U-space toward full integration with manned aviation. U3 introduces dynamic airspace management, tactical conflict resolution, and real-time data exchange with Air Traffic Control (ATC), enabling UAS to operate safely in increasingly complex and dense environments. U4 builds on this by incorporating full automation, advanced decision-making support, and seamless coordination with Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems. This level supports autonomous Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations and scalable Innovative Air Mobility (IAM), making U-space a fully interoperable part of the broader airspace ecosystem. One of the higher U-space level services will be the collaborative interface with ATC developed by DLR. The collaborative interface with ATC is a core feature of U3 and U4 U-space levels, enabling shared situational awareness and dynamic airspace management between manned and unmanned traffic. After end of project in 2026, the U-space environment should be available for UAS flight test campaigns conducted by DLR institutes and external industrial partners. In addition to flight test campaigns showing the readiness of U-space service capabilities, UAS flight trials with services offered by different U-space Service Providers (USSPs) are conceivable at DLR Cochstedt. By this, the planned U-space environment enables a wide range of testing possibilities with the scope of IAM and the opportunity to advance the U-space services and its environment at the DLR Cochstedt. To address the topic of the future use of the U-space sandbox by DLR-internal as well as external users of the test center, a long-term utilization concept will be developed. One part of this concept will be a collection of needs of potential users in the future. This research aims to give an overview on the identified research needs, interests and requirements from various stakeholders and different actors. Furthermore, an approach to identify needs of potential industrial end-users will be detailed and elaborated. In this context various methods for collecting input from interested users are being considered and evaluated in terms of their applicability. Hence, a long-term roadmap for the use of the implemented U-space environment at DLR Cochstedt will be detailed and used to ensure a long-term prospect of use for the U-space sandbox at the testing facility in Cochstedt. By this, one of the addressed aspects will be the integration of the U-space test environment into the existing as well as planned infrastructure at the test center. Due to the continuous development in the field of IAM, there is a need to extend testing possibilities as well. One example for a potential approach is to take the opportunity to enable UAS flight tests in combination with the vertiport demonstrators, which will be realized in the DLR internal research project VERTIFIED (Vertiport Research Infrastructure For Innovation Exploration and Demonstration) until 2028.