Aura Network Systems, a Virginia-based company developing a wireless communications network for unpiloted and autonomous aircraft, has raised $75 million in its latest funding round.
To date, Aura has raised about $110 million to build out its wireless network, which consists of 57 sites providing nationwide coverage across all 50 U.S. states, as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa. Last week the company announced it had received a $55 million investment from Fortress Investment Group and another $20 million from two previous investors, Mudrick Capital Management and Tracker Capital Management.
As a command and control communication service provider, Aura aims to provide a secure communications platform for flight data transmissions in unpiloted, autonomous aircraft. Its network can be used to control the uncrewed air systems (UAS), transmit telemetry data, and relay voice communications between air traffic controllers (ATC) and operators.
A Dedicated Spectrum for UAS
Back in 2010, the FAA and NASA identified a need for new aviation communications policies that would enable the integration of remotely piloted aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS), particularly when it comes to beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations (BVLOS) in controlled airspace.
At the time, the agencies agreed that remotely piloted aircraft, or uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), could not safely fly in the NAS due to the lack of an allocated frequency spectrum and the lack of minimum system performance standards for UAS communications systems.
Founded in 2019, Aura set out to fulfill those needs by creating a dedicated communications network for both autonomous and traditional piloted flight operations. The company launched its coast-to-coast wireless network in November 2020, and in January 2021 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted Aura a license to utilize the 450 megahertz spectrum with no altitude restrictions.
“The reason [we chose] this spectrum is because it was aviation designated … It wasn't really being used for anything but old traditional air-to-ground radio services, and because of that we had an ability to essentially use it completely, to take control of the whole band,” Aura CEO Bill Tolpegin told FutureFlight.
“Another reason we like it is that 450 megahertz, from a spectrum stack perspective, is considered very low-band spectrum,” Tolpegin added. “When you’re building a network, the first thing you do is start with low band, because it provides coverage.” Using a low-band spectrum as a foundation, providers like Aura can then add capacity over time with additional bands at higher frequencies, he explained.
With its latest funding boost, Aura has the support it needs to not only continue its research and development work, but it has also used a portion of the new funding to purchase the 450 MHz spectrum from the FCC. “We were leasing it for a while to see if we can actually get the right regulatory requirements put in place and all that, and we were able to, so we used some of the latest financing to buy that and close it out,” he said.
To access Aura’s network, aircraft will need to be equipped with a specific type of radio made by Aura. Those radio units and Aura’s network overall must comply with the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics’ (RTCA) DO-377A, “Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards for C2 Link Systems Supporting Operations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in U.S. Airspace.”
Aura's Path to Operations
Over the last few years, Aura has been conducting tests of its network both on the ground and in the air to ensure that it meets the DO-377A requirements. This past summer, Aura successfully demonstrated its communications links in flight tests using a Cessna Caravan equipped with an Aura airborne radio and voice communications module. Those flight tests, conducted over Maryland and Ohio, were designed to simulate remotely piloted BVLOS regional air cargo flights.
While the FAA has yet to approve any pilotless commercial flight operations, Tolpegin said he believes the first autonomous aircraft to enter the market using Aura's communications network will be air cargo carriers such as Xwing and Reliable Robotics. But Aura’s network will also help to enable autonomous operations in urban air mobility, such as Wisk Aero’s autonomous eVTOL air taxi services. With no clearly defined path to certification, Wisk has not yet said when it expects to begin commercial operations. Xwing, however, is already conducting experimental flights using remotely piloted Cessna Caravans (with safety pilots on board), and the company plans to begin unpiloted cargo operations in 2024.
Tolpegin told FutureFlight that Aura is working with several key players both in air cargo and in advanced air mobility (AAM), but the company has not yet disclosed any official partnerships with those industries. However, the company has been actively working with regulators to help shape policies around UAS.
In June 2021, the FAA selected Aura to lead its BVLOS rulemaking committee’s third-party services working group. Shortly thereafter, Aura was selected to be a partner for NASA’s AAM National Campaign, which aims to support the integration of AAM into the NAS. Aura is also working with the FAA to research performance standards for ATC voice communications in UAS.
