Watch A UK Drone Firm Performing The World’s First Microgravity Experiment Using Only A Drone

A British startup company has performed a first-of-its-kind microgravity experiment using a drone.

The company, called Gravitilab, flew its adapted quadcopter to an altitude of 2,000 feet (600 meters), where it dropped a specially designed capsule carrying out scientific experiments.

We're proud to announce that we achieved a world first by successfully launching the first commercial microgravity service using our patented UAV technology at Predannack Airfield in Cornwallhttps://t.co/Iwlvnexw2Z#UKSpace #SpaceportCornwall #Microgravity pic.twitter.com/1O86k8qoIR

— Gravitilab (@gravitilab) February 1, 2023

As the capsule fell toward the ground, its payload experienced over five seconds of weightlessness, which is much more than ground-based drop towers can achieve.

The new technology will ‘open the world of microgravity research to a new market.’

The company, operating from the Predannack military airfield in Cornwall in the southwest of England, plans to start commercial services providing microgravity flight opportunities that have not been available before.

While the capsule fell to the ground, the load in it remained weightless for more than 5 seconds – such indicators cannot be achieved in experiments using the so-called. “zero gravity towers” used to create microgravity on Earth.

Following the successful flight, the new technology will ‘open the world of microgravity research to a new market.’

In a statement, Gravitilab CEO Rob Adlard said, “the only option for terrestrial microgravity testing [in Europe] until now has been to wait several years for access to a drop tower in Germany, which provides two seconds of microgravity. Our service can be delivered locally, is less expensive, and as a result of our demonstration flight, we are on target to offer 5 to 20 seconds of high-quality microgravity using our LOUIS UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] system.

Access to the International Space Station is expensive, and Earth-based simulations, including drop towers and parabolic fights on airplanes, are scarce. Gravitilab’s technology is the first in the world to take advantage of unmanned aerial technology, company representatives said, and the firm believes it will “open the world of microgravity research to a new market.”

“Today’s development is a step towards transforming testing across industries from cosmetics to satellites, enabling timely and cost-effective access to gravity-free environments,” Gravitilab wrote in the statement.