The premium space agency NASA has officially started testing an all-electric take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The vehicle has been developed by California-based Joby Aviation, with the hopes of establishing an entirely new form of city-to-city travel.
The space agency is using aircraft to collect performance and acoustic data to help make more airspace concepts in the future as a part of its Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Campaign. NASA also aims to help inform the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on possible gaps in regulations and policies for use of air taxis in cities. This is a leap forward in the integration of eVTOL into the future of transportation.
NASA wants to make eVTOLs less noisy
A major part of that effort will be to determine whether eVTOLs will be too loud. NASA will be making use of an array of more than 50 microphones to measure how loud Joby’s eVTOL is.
“From Day 1, we prioritized building an aircraft that not only has an extremely low noise profile, but blends seamlessly into the natural environment,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “We have always believed that a minimal acoustic footprint is key to making aviation a convenient part of everyday movement without compromising quality of life, and we’re excited to fly with NASA [to] demonstrate the acoustic profile of our aircraft.”
An affordable system for transport
The aircraft has a range of 150 and can reach speeds of up to 200 mph. Earlier, flight testing showed that the vehicle is comparatively quiet. Besides, the space agency is hoping its AAM program will also “provide an efficient and affordable system for passenger and cargo transportation,” as per its statement.
Joby hopes to get Federal Aviation Administration certification by 2023 and claims to have already completed more than 1,000 test flights. Moreover, with new battery technology, flying taxis, or technically called electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles might become a cheaper alternative. It’s important to note that the hardest part of making eVTOLs isn’t the vehicle itself. It’s the energy situation that is limiting eVTOLs.
