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Airspace Operations and Safety Program

The Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) works with the Federal Aviation Administration, industry and academic partners to conceive and develop Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) technologies to further improve the safety of current and future aircraft as they move through the National Airspace System.

Learn More About AOSP

program director

Akbar Sultan

deputy program director

Cheryl Quinn

Latest AOSP Program News

Math, Mentorship, Motherhood: Behind the Scenes with NASA Engineers

October Transformer of the Month: Nipa Phojanamongkolkij

NASA and Partners Scaling to New Heights in Air Traffic Management

Sacrifice and Success: NASA Engineer Honors Family Roots

Sacrificio y Éxito: Ingeniero de la NASA honra sus orígenes familiares

Airspace Operations and Safety Program Leadership

Learn more about the leadership for the Airspace Operations and Safety Program.

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Akbar Sultan, AOSP Director, NASA Aeronautics

Mr. Akbar Sultan

Director

Read Akbar Sultan's Bio

Cheryl Quinn, Deputy Director for Airspace Operations and Safety Program

Cheryl Quinn

Deputy Director

Read Cheryl Quinn's Bio

Projects

The Airspace Operations and Safety Program currently divides its research portfolio into four projects.

NASA researchers test a mobile air traffic kit for remotely operated Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in DeSoto National Forest in Mississippi. The mobile air traffic is being developed for use in wildfire operations.

Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response (ACERO)

Changes in climate are leading to larger and more frequent wildfires across the globe. Through its Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations project, NASA is enabling remotely piloted aircraft to identify, monitor and suppress wildfires 24 hours a day.

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Air Mobility Pathfinders (AMP)

Air Mobility Pathfinders will tackle one of the most important challenges in the Advanced Air Mobility industry — researching how to safely integrate emerging electric air taxi technologies into cities and the national airspace system to help revolutionize air transportation.

Read More on AMP

Artist's concept of various types of flying vehicles operating in an urban environment.

Air Traffic Management—Exploration (ATM-X)

The Air Traffic Management – eXploration project will transform the air traffic management system to safely accommodate the growing demand of new air vehicles to enter the airspace to perform a variety of missions.

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System-Wide Safety (SWS)

The transformation of aviation to make flight more efficient and accessible, even as the global demand for air transportation services steadily increases, will require new research tools, innovative technologies, and operational methods. Enabling this to be done safely is the System-Wide Safety project's goal.

Read More on SWS

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Airspace Operations and Safety Program Videos

The Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) works to improve the safety of current and future aircraft as they move through the National Airspace System. Watch the videos to learn more about AOSP.

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Airspace Operations and Safety Gallery

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AOSP Newsletters

AOSP leaders and subject matter experts produce a quarterly newsletter detailing technical achievements, research highlights, and other news about the program. Read them here.

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Research Solicitations

Find opportunities to collaborate with NASA’s aeronautical innovators and/or contribute to their research to enable new and improved air transportation systems.

NASA Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan, shows an artist illustration of the earth with grass covering the land mass of North and South America as well as Europe. There are airplane silhouettes flying on top of the globe. Also, around the globe are the 6 Strategic Thrusts that support the ARMD portfolio.

ARMD Strategic Vision

The Strategic Implementation Plan sets forth the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate vision for aeronautical research aimed at the next 25 years and beyond. Read this important document here.

NASA Aeronautics Research Institute

The NASA Aeronautics Research Institute promotes innovation in aeronautics across a broad spectrum of aeronautical challenges in the nation’s air transportation system. Learn about them here.

Several people in business suits appear talking as they stand behind an office conference room table. On a nearby wall is a graphic with an airplane and the words NASA Advisory Council Aeronautics Committee.

NASA Advisory Council Aeronautics Committee

The NASA Advisory Council's aeronautics committee advises the agency's leadership on strategic plans, programs, and other matters pertinent to aeronautics research. Public input at meetings is welcome. Read more here.

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Aeronautics STEM & Learning Resources

Explore hands-on activities, interactive lesson plans, educator guides, and other downloadable content about aeronautics.

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Aeronáutica en español

Conozca los avances tecnológicos desarrollados por la NASA, la industria de la aviación está mejor equipada que nunca para transportar pasajeros y carga de manera segura y eficiente a destinos alrededor del mundo en español.

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Dashlink

DASHlink is a collaborative sharing network for researchers in the Data Mining and Systems Health fields. On DASHlink you can create a public member profile, share papers, algorithms, and datasets, and utilize tools like wikis and blogs to collaborate.

Sky for All

Tomorrow's aviation system is being shaped today. Developing a mid-21st Century Vision for the future aviation system, together. Join us.

Learn More on Sky for All

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Even More Aeronautics

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Supersonic Flight

Research about flying faster than the speed of sound.

Aerospace Cognitive Engineering Lab Rapid Automation Test Environment; (ACEL-RATE) in N262 showing out-the-window views of San Francisco for UAM UTM Ride Quality Simulation project.

Flight Innovation

Stories about pioneering the frontiers of 21st century flight.

The Moog SureFly aircraft hovers above Cincinnati Municipal Airport during an acoustic hover test.

Drones & You

All about new ways to get from here to there in the air.

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Green Aviation Tech

Learn about research to make aviation more sustainable.

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Air Traffic Solutions

Read about how NASA is opening up the sky for all.

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