What Happened
New Concepts Emerge for Managing Future High-Altitude Flights
As the number of high-altitude flights is expected to increase in the coming years, air traffic management authorities in the U.S. and Europe are developing new concepts for coordinating flights at altitudes above 55,000 feet. Researchers at the German Aerospace Research Center and NASA are working on digital tools and software to help manage high-altitude airspace, including systems for avoiding potential debris from space flights and self-managing traffic for loitering high-altitude aircraft. According to Aerospace America, these developments aim to create a more efficient and safe use of high-altitude airspace.