ASTRAEA

Lore & Background

ASTRAEA began in 2006 as a collaborative project involving UK government agencies and companies such as AOS Group, BAE Systems, Qinetiq, Rolls-Royce plc, Cassidian, Cobham plc, EADS and Thales UK. The project aims to develop unmanned aerial vehicles that can fly in civil airspace, as currently UAVs can only operate in UK airspace under restricted conditions. A dedicated centre for ASTRAEA exists at ParcAberporth, where permission has been sought for a permanent segregated airspace for testing UAVs over land. Concerns about safety, privacy and noise were raised during consultative sessions.

Test flights were performed between May and September 2012 over the Irish Sea, using a Jetstream aircraft as a UAV and a Piper Seneca as an 'intruder' to test sense and avoid systems. In April 2013, the first unmanned flight over British airspace was successfully completed when BAE Systems flew a Jetstream 31 from Warton Aerodrome near Preston to Inverness in Scotland. The aircraft, described as the 'flying test bed', was controlled by a pilot at Warton using advanced sensors and on-board robotic systems. Two pilots flew in the cockpit as a precaution but were required only to monitor the flight and not actively engage in flying.

Reader's Guide

ASTRAEA's significance lies in its pioneering work toward integrating unmanned aircraft into civil airspace, a capability currently restricted in the UK. The project's first unmanned flight over British airspace in April 2013 marked a milestone, with ASTRAEA programme director Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal stating that the work 'will likely impact all of us in the next five, 10, 20 years as unmanned aircraft and associated technology develop and become a part of everyday life.' The UK government's business and energy minister Michael Fallon welcomed the flight, noting that 'ASTRAEA has made significant achievements, placing the UK industry in a good position globally on unmanned aircraft and the development of regulations for their civil use.' The project's legacy includes advancing sense-and-avoid technology through test flights over the Irish Sea and establishing a testing centre at ParcAberporth, though concerns about safety, privacy and noise were raised during public consultations.

Did You Know?

• ASTRAEA began in 2006 and involves UK government agencies and companies including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce plc, and Thales UK.
• The first unmanned flight over British airspace occurred in April 2013, with a Jetstream 31 flown from Warton Aerodrome to Inverness.
• Two pilots were in the cockpit during the first flight as a precaution but did not actively fly the aircraft.