Wisk Aero, a leading electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer, has entered into a new five-year agreement with NASA to help pave the way for self-flying aircraft in the U.S.
According to a press release this week, the partnership, formalized under a Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement (NRSAA), will focus on developing critical technologies and procedures that will allow autonomous electric aircraft to safely operate under instrument flight rules (IFR) in the National Airspace System (NAS). NASA’s Air Traffic Management Exploration (ATM-X) project will lead the research.
California-based Wisk, known for developing the first all-electric, self-flying air taxi in the U.S., has been working with NASA since 2020. This renewed partnership expands on that foundation, using advanced simulations and Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) environments that combine live flights with simulated air traffic.
Research areas will include optimized route and airspace design for urban operations, autonomous safety systems for both aircraft and ground infrastructure and next-generation air traffic control protocols tailored to unmanned aerial systems.
“This new, long-term agreement with NASA is a significant step forward for Wisk and the broader UAM industry,” said Erick Corona, Director of Airspace Operational Integration at Wisk. “With NASA’s simulation and LVC capabilities, we can accelerate the development of our Gen 6 autonomous systems to safely and efficiently integrate into the U.S. NAS before the end of the decade.”
