BVLOS UAS Operations in Highly-Turbulent Volcanic Plumes

Area of Science:

• Geochemistry
• Volcanology
• Atmospheric Science

Background:

• Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) enable in-situ measurements of volcanic gas chemistry at active volcanoes.
• Volcanic plumes present extreme environmental challenges for aerial operations and control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure real-time gas concentrations within the Manam volcano plume using fixed-wing UAS.
• To integrate aerial data with ground- and satellite-based sensors for emission rate and subsurface insights.
• To analyze flight operations and identify challenges for future UAS deployments in volcanic environments.

Main Methods:

• Deployment of fixed-wing Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights over Manam volcano.
• Real-time measurement of volcanic gas concentrations within the plume.
• Integration of UAS data with ground- and satellite-based sensor data.
• Analysis of flight data, including aircraft performance and flight failures.

Main Results:

• Successful execution of two BVLOS flights into the Manam volcano plume, collecting gas concentration data.
• Evaluation of aircraft performance under turbulent atmospheric conditions within the plume.
• Identification of operational challenges and a sequence of events leading to a third flight failure.

Conclusions:

• UAS technology is viable for in-situ volcanic gas measurements, despite operational challenges.
• Analysis of flight data provides critical lessons learned for improving safety and success rates of future missions.
• Recommendations are proposed to mitigate risks associated with operating UAS in highly turbulent volcanic plumes.