NASA Advances High-Altitude Traffic Management

Simulation tests system to enable safe operations in airspace above 50,000 feet

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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NASA is developing an air traffic management system for high-altitude airspace, above 50,000 feet, to enable new commercial, scientific, and humanitarian missions. The system provides shared awareness of the airspace, identifies potential conflicts, and enables cooperative conflict resolution among operators of high-altitude aircraft like balloons and airships. NASA recently conducted a simulation with industry partners Aerostar and Sceye, testing the system's ability to handle live flight data from a stratospheric balloon.

Why it matters

High-altitude flight is gaining attention for its potential to deliver internet connectivity, provide early warnings for disasters, and enable other new applications. However, this airspace requires a different air traffic management approach than the one used for most commercial flights. NASA's work aims to create a scalable, dependable system that can safely support the growing number of operators in this shared high-altitude airspace.

The details

NASA's high-altitude air traffic management system allows operators to share live flight data, information about their flight plans, and potential conflict alerts. During the 2025 simulation, NASA, Aerostar, and Sceye acted as operators of high-altitude vehicles, sharing information from facilities in California, South Dakota, and New Mexico. They were able to incorporate live telemetry data from an Aerostar stratospheric balloon floating at 66,500 feet above Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The simulation also studied how operators make decisions when planned aircraft trajectories overlap, to help refine rules and guidelines for safer high-altitude operations.

  • The simulation took place on July 29, 2025 at NASA's Airspace Operations Laboratory at Ames Research Center in California.
  • The Aerostar stratospheric balloon was floating at 66,500 feet above Sioux Falls, South Dakota during the simulation.

The players

NASA

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which is developing the high-altitude air traffic management system.

Aerostar

A company that develops and operates high-altitude aircraft, including the stratospheric balloon used in the simulation.

Sceye

A company that develops and operates high-altitude aircraft, collaborating with NASA on the simulation.

Jeff Homola

A researcher at NASA's Ames Research Center who is leading the development of the high-altitude air traffic management system.

Kevin-Christian Garzon Galindo

A San Jose State University researcher at NASA Ames who monitored airspace data during the simulation.

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What they’re saying

“Current high-altitude air traffic management is manual and piecemeal. We saw the need for a scalable solution - something multiple operators in a shared airspace can safely rely on. Our system provides shared awareness of the airspace, identifies potential conflicts, enables cooperative conflict resolution, and allows operators to complete missions safely.”

— Jeff Homola, Researcher, NASA's Ames Research Center

“We're leveraging decades of NASA's air traffic management expertise to make this possible.”

— Jeff Homola, Researcher, NASA's Ames Research Center

What’s next

NASA will share the results and lessons learned from the simulation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to inform its approach to ensuring that higher airspace operations are accessible, safe, and scalable. The agency will continue advancing the high-altitude traffic management system through continued collaboration with industry partners and the FAA.

The takeaway

NASA's work on high-altitude air traffic management aims to create a framework that opens the door to new commercial, scientific, and humanitarian missions that can leverage the unique capabilities of aircraft operating at altitudes above 50,000 feet.