NASA is pioneering the systems that will manage tomorrow’s urban skies, where air taxis and drones must safely share crowded airspace. Through advanced simulations, the agency is developing the critical traffic management tools needed to turn this vision into a reliable reality.
A key demonstration earlier this year at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley tested a Strategic Deconfliction Simulation. This system coordinates flight plans before aircraft ever leave the ground, proactively preventing conflicts in busy urban environments. Researchers showcased tools like the Situational Viewer, which provides a real-time visual map of air traffic, and the Demand-Capacity Balancing Monitor, which dynamically adjusts flight paths to prevent congestion.
The simulation created complex traffic scenarios in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, focusing on how pre-planned drone operations could improve traffic flow. It balanced the demand for airspace with its available capacity, ensuring all aircraft—from delivery drones to passenger air taxis—could operate smoothly even during peak times.
Collaboration with industry is central to this effort. During the event, partner ANRA Technologies demonstrated its own fleet and vertiport (air taxi landing site) management systems, which are designed to coordinate multiple aircraft and ground operations seamlessly.
“Simulating these complex environments supports broader efforts to ensure safe integration of drones and other advanced vehicles into the US airspace,” explained Hanbong Lee, an engineer at NASA Ames. “By showcasing these capabilities, we’re delivering critical data and lessons learned to support efforts at NASA and industry.”
This work is part of NASA’s Air Mobility Pathfinders project, which focuses on safely integrating innovative aircraft into cities and the national airspace. The recent simulation is a step toward a larger Technical Capability Level demonstration planned for 2026, which will further shape the development of urban air traffic services.
Ultimately, the project, under NASA’s Airspace Operations and Safety Program, aims to develop the evaluations and systems for safe, scalable, and publicly trusted urban air travel. By tackling these challenges today, NASA is helping pave the way for a future where air taxis and drones are a safe and ordinary part of everyday transportation.
