RocketDNA gets CASA approval to use remote drone solutions in Australia
Perth-based drones-as-a-service provider RocketDNA (ASX: RKT) has been granted approval by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to operate remote autonomous drone solutions in Australia.
Approval was received for a new-to-market dock system produced in China by Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies and the “drone-in-a-box” solution made by US-based Hextronics, which features beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and remote operations.
It will allow RocketDNA to provide its customers with automated operational workflows using drones and artificial intelligence (AI).
The company is the first in Australia to receive approval for the DJI system.
Comprehensive process
CASA’s comprehensive approval process included an assessment of RocketDNA’s remote operating centre in metropolitan Perth, evidence of deployment and operational risk assessment (SORA) methodology and policies, and practical demonstrations of autonomous drone operation.
The company has previously developed the InspectBot, PatrolBot and SurveyBot X-Bot (drone-in-a-box) products to enhance security and safety in the workplace.
Busy period
Chief executive officer Christopher Clark said the approvals come at the end of a busy period for the company.
“We have been steadily preparing our autonomous drone products for release which we now have CASA approval for and which coincides with the market release of DJI’s product which we have already deployed to a gold mining site in WA,” he said.
“We expect future approvals will be faster, more efficient and form part of business as usual as we look to deploy our ‘drone-in-a-box’ solution to other sites.”
Mr Clark said the company had various applications to enable the remote collection of data from hazardous or difficult to access locations within the mining, agriculture and critical asset industries.
“The idea is that we can create safer and more sustainable work environments by using our autonomous drone-based, remote geo-data solutions to keep teams out of dangerous environments,” he said.
Name change
In June, RocketDNA changed its name from Delta Drone International in an effort to provide alignment across its business activities and corporate identity with a single name.
The name change was supported by new branding and marketing to clarify the company’s new vision and mission.
RocketDNA also defined a new range of data-driven products, powered by core drone-data capture capabilities.