Governor’s office expects to get drone testing contract with NASA

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John Antczak / AP

This April 13, 2010, file photo shows a NASA Global Hawk robotic jet siting in a hangar at Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Fri, Jul 31, 2015 (2:25 p.m.)

NASA could soon be testing drones in Nevada airspace.

As one of six designated drone test sites, the State of Nevada is in the process of securing a contract to host the agency while it researches unmanned aerial vehicles. Tom Wilczek, who works with the aerospace and defense industries in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, expects to have an agreement within two months.

The contract would give NASA the freedom to use the Nevada test site for UAV-related projects, such as developing an air traffic management system for drones. NASA is also expected to conduct a demo flight in Nevada as part of its testing for unmanned aircraft. The state has not determined where the testing would take place, but the there are several locations throughout the state with good conditions for operating unmanned vehicles. They include Creech Air Force Base, Nellis Air Force Base, Fallon Municipal Airport, Reno-Stead Airport, Boulder City Airport and the Nevada National Security Site/Desert Rock Airport.

Given its long history of flight research, NASA is one of several federal agencies, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, that Congress has tasked with helping to integrate commercial drones into the national airspace.

According to Wilczek, an agreement with the agency could be a significant stimulus for the state’s technology industry because NASA would likely collaborate with companies in the state’s commercial drone sector.

“NASA is doing a lot of the (research and development) but they are very, very interested in integrating the technological components that come from industry,” Wilczek said.

Talks between NASA and the state have been on and off since October. The federal agency recently issued a request for proposal to the six FAA test sites. Although the contracting process is ongoing, Wilczek said he has been told that NASA has funding to sign Master Services Agreements — the agreement to permit testing — with all of the six test sites.

“They’ve expressed a growing interest to start engaging with these test sites,” he said.

In addition to bidding for the Master Services Agreement, the State of Nevada is also bidding for a NASA demo flight and an agency simulation center that will give researchers the capability to test how a UAV might respond to particular environments and situations. The bid for the simulation center is more competitive than the Master Services Agreement and the demo flight. Wilczek expects NASA to contract it to only one of the six sites.

When the FAA approved its six test sites in December 2013, it did not provide any funding to go along with the designation as a government approved site. Instead the test sites rely on entities such as NASA that have both funding and an interest in unmanned systems.

“It’s the opportunity that we’ve all kind of been waiting for,” Wilczek said. “It’s an opportunity for obtaining some really significant research as well as an opportunity to (bring) really exciting (research and development) to Nevada research institutions and Nevada industries.”

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