PROTECT YOUR DNA WITH QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY
Orgo-Life the new way to the future Advertising by AdpathwayOpen-access content Jack Loughran —
Thu 24 Jul 2025
Nasa is testing how 5G could help future air taxis communicate with each other and reduce the risk of collisions.
5G networks are capable of managing masses of data at once and have very low signal latency compared with satellite systems – features that lend themselves well to providing location data between aircraft in busy city skies. Ground antennae and networks in cities can help air taxis stay connected as they fly over buildings, making urban flights safer.
But 5G is also poor at penetrating walls and buildings – especially at the higher-frequency, mmWave end of the spectrum. This can make it prone to signal dropouts that have the potential to hamper air taxis.
“The goal of this research is to understand how wireless cellphone networks could be leveraged by the aviation industry to enable new frontiers of aviation operations,” said Casey Bakula, lead researcher for the project.
“The findings of this work could serve as a blueprint for future aviation communication network providers, like satellite navigation providers and telecommunications companies, and help guide the Federal Aviation Administration’s [FAA’s] plan for future advanced air mobility network requirements in cities.”
The researchers built two specialised radio systems to study how well 5G performed under the conditions faced by air taxis. They said that if 5G networks could provide an “80% solution” to airborne communications, other teams could focus on identifying the remaining 20% that could be adapted to meet the needs of the industry.
The team placed one radio in a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and set up another radio on the roof of the Glenn Aerospace Communications Facility building. With an experimental licence from the FAA to conduct flights, the team tested signal transmissions using a radio frequency band that regulators have dedicated for the safe testing of drones and other uncrewed aircraft systems.
The PC-12 flew various flight patterns near Glenn while measuring how the signal could weaken as the aircraft moved away from the ground station. Other patterns focused on identifying areas where nearby buildings might block signals, potentially causing interference or dead zones.
The team also studied how the aircraft’s angle and position relative to the ground station affected the quality of the connection and the impact of the propeller blades on signal strength.
Nasa plans to share its research with the FAA and the advanced air mobility sector of the aviation industry.
Dubai is planning to launch commercial air taxi services as soon as next year while the UK wants flying taxis and routine emergency service drones to be a reality by 2028.
Meanwhile, Chinese firm AutoFlight has recently delivered what it claims is the first air taxi with a maximum take-off weight exceeding one tonne. Dubbed CarryAll (pictured at top of article), the fully electric unmanned aircraft has been designated as airworthy by Chinese regulators and can fly at speeds up to 200km/h.
You may also be interested in...
The UK’s Emergency Alerts system will undergo a nationwide test in September as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s preparedness for a range of disasters.
Open-access content
An unmanned seaplane designed to detect imminent earthquakes has been developed by University of Tokyo researchers.
Open-access content
Britain’s most powerful supercomputer, the £225m Isambard-AI, has been officially launched in Bristol, with promises that it could enable breakthroughs in areas such as medicine, robotics and climate change.
Open-access content
A floating platform is being developed that can produce low-carbon synthetic fuels from a combination of wind energy, seawater, and ambient air.
Open-access content
Scientists have developed a technology to extract water from lunar soil and use it to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and chemicals for fuel.
Open-access content
CPRE, the countryside charity, has called for new solar farms to be banned from the UK’s highest-grade farmland over concerns that they impact domestic food security.
Open-access content
Efforts in east Asia to tackle air pollution might have led to a further acceleration in global warming, a study has found.
Open-access content
A fire at a Heathrow airport substation, owned by the National Grid, was caused by a problem first detected seven years ago but never fixed, according to a report by the National Energy System Operator.
Open-access content
More from 5G
The gaming sector has always resided at the cutting-edge of computer technology as advancements in graphics and compute power bring new creative possibilities to ever-more complex worlds.
Open-access content
From traffic smoothing systems to electric ferries, and smart poles to public transport mode-shifting schemes, cities are upping their game in the smart stakes
Open-access content
Vodafone plans to demo a suite of next-generation drones that can restore connectivity to malfunctioning mobile masts in a bid to cut network down time.
Open-access content
Vodafone has unveiled a new space-saving 5G mast design which could help to lower the number of masts needed in some areas.
Open-access content
More from Aviation
The first uncrewed aircraft traffic management system designed specifically to prevent mid-air collisions between drones has received Federal Aviation Administration approval and is now operational.
Open-access content
Tanya Weaver looks back at the fiery end of the airship era, the longest bridge in the world, and performances plagued by spectres.
Members'-only content
The King's birthday flypast featured a dramatic aerial display from the Red Arrows, which for the first time were powered using renewable fuels.
Open-access content
A significant overhaul of UK airspace to modernise flight paths will be implemented under new government plans.
Open-access content
More from Communication Equipment And Devices
A commercial spacecraft from Japanese firm ispace appears to have crashed on the surface of the Moon as it attempted to land.
Open-access content
BT has embarked on a “once-in-a-generation” mission to switch over UK landlines to digital technology, and the next stop on its journey is Northern Ireland.
Open-access content
Face unlock security systems on Android phones made by the likes of Honor, Motorola, Samsung and others can be fooled by a simple printed 2D photograph, Which? has warned.
Open-access content
The Biden administration has banned imports of telecommunications equipment made by Chinese companies, citing an "unacceptable risk" to national security.
Open-access content
More from Health And Safety
The EU has been urged to place limits on the ever-increasing height of car bonnets in order to improve road safety for pedestrians, especially children.
Open-access content
Tesla has issued a notice to recall 46,000 Cybertrucks in the US after admitting to using the incorrect glue during assembly.
Open-access content
Clearly neither Los Angeles burning out west, nor the unusually cold weather in the east that drove the inauguration ceremonies indoors, could persuade incoming President Trump that pulling out of the Paris Agreement was anything but a good idea.
Open-access content
In our last issue, we looked at some of the most hazardous jobs in the engineering sector. But one stood out as being worthy of an article in its own right – saturation diving for the offshore oil and gas industry.
Open-access content
More from Research And Innovation
Since 2002, all of Earth’s continents have experienced “unprecedented freshwater loss” driven by climate change, unsustainable groundwater use and extreme droughts, new satellite observations have revealed.
Open-access content
Researchers at Meta are developing a wristband capable of controlling devices using subtle hand or finger gestures.
Open-access content
The new MachLab rocket-testing facility has opened in Scotland, aiming to support the research and development of new rocket engines capable of delivering up to one tonne of thrust.
Open-access content
A trial of a hybrid vertical growing system in Dyson Farming’s 26-acre strawberry glasshouse on its Lincolnshire farm has massively boosted yields.
Open-access content
More from Jack Loughran
Since 2002, all of Earth’s continents have experienced “unprecedented freshwater loss” driven by climate change, unsustainable groundwater use and extreme droughts, new satellite observations have revealed.
Open-access content
Great British Railways is a “solution looking for a problem” and could see the UK repeating mistakes made under British Rail.
Open-access content
The UK government’s overseas operations are to make use of OneWeb’s satellite broadband network to enable access to secure, reliable communications across the world.
Open-access content
The government has agreed a £38bn package with private investors to help it fund the upcoming Sizewell C nuclear plant, although it will remain the largest shareholder in the project.
Open-access content
More from News
Former President Joe Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act already had flaws, but now his successor’s administration’s approach is complicating matters further.
Open-access content
Since 2002, all of Earth’s continents have experienced “unprecedented freshwater loss” driven by climate change, unsustainable groundwater use and extreme droughts, new satellite observations have revealed.
Open-access content
Great British Railways is a “solution looking for a problem” and could see the UK repeating mistakes made under British Rail.
Open-access content
Researchers at Meta are developing a wristband capable of controlling devices using subtle hand or finger gestures.
Open-access content
English (US) · 
French (CA) ·