Sphere Drones has reached a massive milestone for commercial drone deliveries, being approved to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has permitted BVLOS to operate at its site near Wagga Wagga (NSW).
What does this mean for commercial drone usage in Australia? The company says this milestone “perfectly positions” it to help “accelerate commercial drone adoption by businesses across Australia.”
Commercial drone usage in Australia is expected to expand to 60 million flights annually by 2043.
This approval, the first of its kind for Sphere Drones, allows the business to “demonstrate its BVLOS drone operations to customers” while developing its HubX platform.
HubX is a patent-pending, rugged, and self-sustaining mobile drone platform. It helps with the “seamless deployment” of drones, so customers can capture aerial data wherever and whenever required.
The company’s CEO, Paris Cockinos, says he couldn’t be prouder of this remarkable moment. “[The ] dedication and effort the team has invested in regulatory and licensing work over the past few years.” He also acknowledges the success of developing HubX to a stage where it met the requirements for approval.
Milestone for Australian drone sector
Sphere Drones says this is not only a victory for their company but will have a wider positive impact on Australian businesses.
“One of the most significant benefits of this approval is the ability for teams to conduct operations across the BVLOS area without spotters or trained observers on-site.” For now, this is one of the requirements for operations without the BVLOS license.
“This is all made possible by HubX, an off-grid enabled, self-sustaining, and rugged mobile drone platform,” says the company.
Complex BVLOS missions
With a BVLOS, businesses from various industries (like mines, emergency services, and construction) can now benefit from conducting “complex missions.” Sphere Drones says this is a “crucial stepping stone.”
More BVLOS drone operations could act like a “conduit for broader use of commercial drones in surveying operations. Providing businesses with substantial efficiency gains and cost savings.”
Chief remote pilot at Sphere Drones, Elliot Cummins, says it’s a big deal as obtaining the license was “extensive,” especially when proving “safety and sufficiency in your technology solutions and redundancies.”
About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
