Western States Fire Mission: Ikhana, The COA and Mission Planning

The Western States Fire Mission utilized the NASA Ikhana Unmanned Aerial System to image active wildfires over the western third of the US. Ikhana operated in the National Air Space under a Certificate of Authorization issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, logging 88 hours on 8 flights at 23,000 feet, in eight states, imaging 62 fi res. This paper will describe highlights of the Ikhana system, the COA process and related rules including contingency planning, and the mission planning approach.