Photo credit: www.nasa.gov

NASA Supports Innovative Emergency Response Aircraft Development

The international GoAERO Prize competition, backed by NASA, has awarded funding to 14 university teams across the United States to develop pioneering compact emergency response aircraft. This initiative aims to foster innovation in designing aircraft that can play crucial roles in disaster response and crisis management.

Teams will work on creating prototype Emergency Response Flyers, which are envisioned to perform various tasks such as delivering first responders, evacuating individuals in distress, providing emergency medical supplies, and supporting humanitarian initiatives. A demonstration fly-off is scheduled for 2027, where these test aircraft will be showcased.

Koushik Datta

NASA Project Manager

Koushik Datta, who oversees the University Innovation Project within NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, expressed enthusiasm for the competition. He stated, “These awards will provide students with an opportunity that might have otherwise been difficult – a chance to design and build potentially lifesaving aircraft. At NASA, we’re looking forward to seeing how these young innovators can contribute to our mission to advance futuristic aviation technologies that can benefit first responders and the public.”

Participating Universities

The following universities are among the selected awardees:

• Auburn University, Leeds, Alabama
• California Polytechnic University, Pomona
• Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida
• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
• North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro
• North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• The Ohio State University, Columbus
• Penn State University, State College
• Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
• Saint Louis University
• Texas A&M University, College Station
• Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
• University of Texas, Austin
• Virginia Tech, Blacksburg

With the funding, student teams will be able to acquire essential materials, components, batteries, and other necessary items to construct their aircraft.

In conjunction with the university awards, GoAERO—partnering with Boeing, RTX, and Honeywell—recently announced the winners of Stage 1 of its competition. This round included both university and private sector teams, chosen to develop either full-scale or smaller model flyers for further assessment. From these, eight will progress to the next Stage 2 awards. The GoAERO Prize remains open for new teams interested in participating. Notably, teams are not required to win in Stage 1 or 2 to advance to the final fly-off.

Alongside financial support for the university teams, NASA’s collaboration with GoAERO, through a non-funded Space Act Agreement, provides mentorship, educational opportunities, and access to advanced software tools to enhance the teams’ development capabilities.

Source
www.nasa.gov