78 batteries based on traditional lithium-ion chemistries, and Astrolabe intends to provide its software and services to that end for predictive battery maintenance in defence and aerospace applications. The company is also working on compatibility with other, less commercially mature chemistries that could become widespread in the future. “There are nuances for each use case, but at the end of the day it all boils down to time, voltage, current and temperature data. We engineer different features and relationships from that data to inform usage and maintenance of each battery pack or module going forward,” Masse added. “We have different ways to plug in our solution with OEMs or their partners, whether we’re on the BMS or interfacing with someone’s cloud-based UAV fleet management software.” During the expo, uAvionix received an official FAA exemption that granted it the right to fly its Rapace in BVLOS flights on the North Dakota Vantis infrastructure that uses networked C2 and DAA systems. That has created the opportunity for other companies to fly BVLOS using uAvionix’s C2 products and its SkyLine cloud-based management system (for more details, see issue 46, October/November 2022). “Basically, other companies can use our equipment and procedures to fly BVLOS,” said Joe Gibbs. “If they want to fly under FAA Part 91, they can reference this exemption in their safety case, using all the technologies named in it, and the FAA should then fast-track them for approval with minimal need for validation or additional risk analysis. “It really makes performing commercial BVLOS missions a lot easier. We spent 18 months working for the exemption on behalf of our customers, and those piggybacking off our exemption should anticipate a much shorter timeline for theirs.” UAvionix added that UPS FlightForward, Phoenix Air and Zipline have also received exemptions. Trimble Applanix showcased its new PX-1 RTX, a GNSS-IMU OEM positioning product supplied ‘as a service’ and specifically engineered for UAV delivery, providing roll, pitch and heading support for navigation, guidance and control, as well as real-time centimetre-accurate positioning for last-mile delivery. “The fully integrated GNSS and IMU board is bundled with Trimble’s Centerpoint RTX, a global correction service derived from hundreds of surveygrade reference stations around the world, all constantly receiving signals from different GNSS constellations,” said Brad Schmidt. “Centerpoint RTX uses this data to filter and correct for atmospheric errors, multi-path or other issues in the signals and then, via an L-band satellite or N-Trip internet connection, broadcasts October/November 2023 | Uncrewed Systems Technology UAvionix has been granted an FAA exemption for flying its Rapace UAV in BVLOS flights on the North Dakota Vantis infrastructure
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