ResilienX Selected for NASA SBIR Phase II to Advance ORION Airspace Coordination System
ResilienX has been selected for a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award to advance its On-Demand Regional Intelligent Operations Network (ORION), a next-generation system designed to coordinate autonomous and semi-autonomous uncrewed aircraft during wildfire response, disaster management, and emergency operations.
The 18-month programme will support the transition of ORION from prototype development to an operational demonstration in New York’s Adirondack region, helping validate a scalable approach for managing increasingly complex uncrewed operations.
Building the Coordination Layer for Emergency Drone Operations
Current wildfire and disaster response operations often rely on fragmented drone deployments, with multiple agencies operating separate systems and limited ability to share information in real time.
ORION addresses this challenge by providing a hardware-agnostic orchestration and data integration layer connecting:
- Uncrewed aircraft systems
- Sensors and communications networks
- Command-and-control platforms
- Mission intelligence tools
The platform creates a shared Common Operational Picture, enabling more effective coordination and supporting resilient operations even in degraded communication environments.
Advancing Autonomous Operations from Prototype to Field Demonstration
Through the NASA SBIR Phase II award, ResilienX will mature ORION from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 to TRL 7, moving the technology closer to operational deployment.
The programme will integrate multiple capabilities from ecosystem partners, including:
- Vigilare AI’s TitanOps platform
- Hoplynk’s resilient edge networking
- Pierce Aerospace’s Remote ID sensor
- OneSky’s UAS Service Supplier platform
Two operational demonstrations in the Adirondack region will be supported by NUAIR’s flight test infrastructure and regulatory expertise.
Supporting the Future of Safe and Scalable UAS Operations
The programme aligns with NASA priorities across initiatives including ACERO (Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations), the Airspace Operations and Safety Program, the Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign, and wider system safety research.
Beyond emergency response applications, ResilienX is positioning ORION as a key enabler for broader uncrewed operations, with potential applications across government, defence, and public safety ecosystems.
This milestone further reinforces ResilienX’s role in developing the digital infrastructure needed to safely scale autonomous systems in increasingly complex airspace environments.
