NASA has selected an Ohio nonprofit organization to manage a contest aimed at helping unmanned aerial vehicles fly safely in civilian airspace.
NASA said Friday that it picked Development Projects Inc. in Dayton to run the competition involving the vehicles commonly referred to as drones.
The Dayton Daily News reports the contest is expected to draw competing teams from across the country to fly robotic aircraft in restricted airspace above the Camp Atterbury military operating range in southern Indiana.
The program executive of the NASA Centennial Challenges Program in Washington says the first stage of the competition to start next year will test the unmanned vehicles' capabilities to avoid aircraft broadcasting their location and direction.
Area officials say getting such a test zone could generate major economic benefits.
