FAA Decision on Space-Based ADS-B Remains 'Up in the Air'
The Federal Aviation Administration hasn't decided whether it will employ satellite-based automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast alongside its terrestrial radar and ADS-B systems for monitoring aircraft positions, and it's not clear when, or whether, it will do so, experts told us. "It's -- no pun intended -- up in the air," said Brattle Group consultant Kevin Neels, who co-wrote a white paper earlier this year about the economic case for space-based ADS-B.
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The FAA is requiring that by 2020, aircraft flying in certain controlled airspace be equipped with transponders relaying ADS-B Out signals, which broadcasts an aircraft's position. The agency hasn't mandated ADS-B In -- aircraft receiving ADS-B traffic information signals from a ground network such as traffic information service-broadcast. Also driving the ADS-B market are Australian and EU mandates for aircraft to be ADS-B equipped, said Don Thoma, CEO of ADS-B company Aireon. Aireon -- which employs Iridium's Next satellite constellation -- has been validation testing satellite-based ADS-B with the FAA (see 1704260047) and Canadian civil air navigation system operator Nav Canada (see 1705030015).
The FAA is "more on the fence" about space-based ADS-B than a number of other air navigation service providers (ANSP), despite some pressure from Congress, Neels said. He said one hurdle is institutional, with the FAA having to pay for such a service and the agency not having a mechanism to recoup those costs from air carriers, unlike, for example, Nav Canada, which levies fees on air operators. Neels said there "is some pressure to come to a decision one way or the other."
The expectation is the FAA will adopt satellite ADS-B because it's such an enhancement over existing, terrestrial radar systems, Satellite Industry Association President Tom Stroup said: "It's probably more a matter of when rather than whether." He said there has been some satellite industry frustration at the slow regulatory pace.
The FAA told us it's "assessing the possibilities" for space-based ADS-B technology. The agency said it could enhance safety and increase capacity in oceanic airspace. It said it's sunsetting its memorandum of understanding with Aireon that had it working with the ADS-B provider to develop a business model to assess the feasibility of Aireon's space-based ADS-B system. The agency said it then plans to work with ADS-B system vendor Harris to analyze technical, cost and benefits data. The agency said if the business case can be justified, it will do additional testing and operational assessments. It said the ongoing analysis of the technology, along with input from the FAA's NextGen Advisory Committee of airlines and industry representatives "will influence ... investment decisions over the next two years."
Unlike applications like in-flight connectivity, with numerous satellite operators jostling for a piece of the market, satellite ADS-B is likely to have only a limited number of players providing such service, Stroup said. Neels said air navigation system operators and aircraft operators are a limited-size market, but the data generated by ADS-B could spawn a variety of other uses and services. For satellite network operators, ADS-B is a unique application, unlike a communications network that can be used for a variety of services, Thoma said.
Aireon has 10 long-term agreements with ANSPs, including Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Denmark, South Africa and Singapore, Thoma said. Each is using Aireon service for different reasons, such as filling in North Atlantic surveillance gaps or infrastructure savings by removing more expensive surveillance forms like radar, Thoma said. Rival space-based ADS-B provider Spire said it hopes to have its network operational by 2019 (see 1612050032), and Inmarsat and the European Space Agency are jointly working on the Iris satellite ADS-B program for European airspace, with the hopes of it also going live in 2019.