Air travel is changing, and NASA’s System-Wide Safety (SWS) project conducts world-class research to ensure safety as new types of aircraft and operations are introduced into the airspace. We develop technologies and work alongside government and aviation industry organizations to keep air travel the safest form of transportation.
SWS is focused on exploring, discovering, and understanding the impact on safety from technical advancements in aviation and any associated emerging operations. To improve the efficiency of flight, access to airspace, and expansion of aviation services, SWS identifies and addresses the largest technical barriers to safety.
What does NASA’s System-Wide Safety (SWS) project do?
- develops innovative data solutions to assure safe, rapid, and scalable access to a transformed commercial airspace
- identifies and addresses safety threats to improve the efficiency of flight and access to airspace
- evaluates how the aerospace industry and aircraft modernization impacts safety by using the latest technology to address potential risks associated with technical advancements and other emerging aviation operations
SWS Goals
- To explore, discover, and understand the impact on safety of growing complexity introduced by modernization aimed at improving the efficiency of flight, the access to airspace, and the expansion of services provided by air vehicles
- To develop and demonstrate innovative solutions that enable this modernization and the aviation transformation envisioned for global airspace system through proactive mitigation of risks in accordance with target levels of safety
To transform the National Airspace System (NAS), SWS employs high-risk research and development to understand how the modernization of industry and aircraft can affect overall safety. SWS is developing and demonstrating innovative solutions within several key research areas, referred to as technical challenges.
Current Technical Challenges (TCs)
- TC-2: In-Time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) Services, Functions, and Capabilities Development for Emerging Operations
- TC-4: Complex Autonomous Systems Assurance
- TC-5: In-Time Aviation Safety Management System for Advanced Air Mobility – Safety Demonstrator Series
- TC-6: In-Time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) for Commercial Aviation
SWS is developing the concept and requirements for an assured In-Time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) to achieve the goals described above. It is an integrated set of services, functions, and capabilities to address operational risks and hazards of a transformed NAS. SWS catalyzes the discovery of the unknown and paves the path forward for aviation safety in the future airspace.
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