Northrop Grumman & NASA Renew Earth Science Partnership Using Global Hawk UAS

By Caroline Rees / 30 May 2013

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST
Global Hawk UAS

Global Hawk UAS

Northrop Grumman Corporation and NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center extended the NASA Space Act Agreement and will continue sharing Northrop Grumman-produced Global Hawk unmanned aircraft for science missions and flight demonstrations, including hurricane surveillance, atmospheric research and exploration of new mission capabilities.

“In the last five years, the Global Hawk has flown over the eye of hurricanes, examined the effects of greenhouse gasses and conducted cutting-edge autonomous aerial refueling trials,” said George Guerra, vice president of the Global Hawk program for Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with NASA and look forward to more scientific and technological breakthroughs in the next five years.”

The agreement will continue until April 30, 2018, and allows for joint use and shared cost of the NASA Global Hawks. The initial Space Act Agreement, signed April 30, 2008, returned two preproduction Global Hawk aircraft to flight status. Under the partnership, a permanent ground control station was built at Dryden Flight Research Center, which is based at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

The high-altitude, long-endurance capabilities of the Global Hawk are uniquely suited to scientific research. Scientists from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and universities have capitalized on the range and dwell time of the Global Hawk.

“The Global Hawk is an invaluable asset and has changed the way we collect data and conduct Earth-science missions,” said Chris Naftel, NASA Dryden Global Hawk project manager.

Access to wide areas and remote locations of the world has allowed Global Hawk to collect data for a variety of science research missions, including:

  • January 2013: Global Hawk started collecting atmospheric data in support of the Airborne Tropical TRopopause Experiment (ATTREX) campaign. Scientists use the data to study how the composition of the atmosphere affects Earth’s climate.
  • Fall 2012: Supported environmental scientists during Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) missions. The HS3 missions studied hurricane formation and intensity change in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the first joint NASA-Northrop Grumman deployment from the Dryden Flight Research Center.
  • Spring 2011: Flew winter storm missions over the Pacific and Arctic, observing, among other weather phenomena, an “atmospheric river” that sometimes causes flooding on the West Coast.
  • Fall 2011: Supported ATTREX missions over the Pacific by climbing and descending between 45,000 feet and 65,000 feet, gathering information on climate change due to water vapor and other aerosols.
  • September 2010: Supported the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes hurricane surveillance missions that provided extended monitoring of changes in hurricane intensity during five storms in the southern Caribbean and western Atlantic.
  • April 2010: Completed the first science research campaign called GloPac, studying the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean and Arctic.

The Global Hawk is a fully autonomous, high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system that can fly up to 65,000 feet for 30 hours at a time. Its endurance and range allow for nonstop flights from NASA Dryden in Southern California to the North Pole and remaining for up to seven hours over the polar region before returning to Dryden.

Posted by Caroline Rees Caroline co-founded Unmanned Systems Technology and has been at the forefront of the business ever since. With a Masters Degree in marketing Caroline has her finger on the pulse of all things unmanned and is committed to showcasing the very latest in unmanned technical innovation. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Cellen Expands UAV Mission Capabilities with Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology

Cellen outlines how its H2‑6 hydrogen-powered drone delivers long-endurance flight and zero-emission performance, overcoming battery limitations and enabling reliable, low-impact operations in sensitive or remote environments

Jul 15, 2025
Tulip Tech Extends Autonomous Drone Missions with Lithium Metal Technology

Tulip Tech and Tective have partnered to extend the ReFly drone’s range and endurance using advanced Lithium Metal battery technology

Jul 15, 2025
UAV Navigation to Supply Flight Control System for Fixed-Wing UAV Platform

UAV Navigation collaborates with SE Aviation to provide the DRIADE UAV with a VECTOR-600 flight control system enabling autonomous reconnaissance and wildfire response missions

Jul 15, 2025
AlarisPro Empowers UAS Operators to Meet Federal Mandates with Safety & Compliance Tools

AlarisPro describes how their Fleet Management Platform is positioned to help UAS operators prepare for BVLOS certifications under the new Executive Order

Jul 15, 2025
Police Department Utilizes Drones to Map Crash & Crime Scenes

Discover how Windham Police use drones and Blue Marble Geographics’ GIS tools to enhance crash investigations, speed up processing, and improve scene accuracy

Jul 15, 2025
SPECTRUM300 Mission-Ready Imaging for Small UAV Platforms

Explore Blitz Technology SPECTRUM300, a 330g dual-sensor gimbal delivering full HD EO and thermal imaging, built for lightweight UAVs and demanding ISR missions

Jul 15, 2025

Featured Content

SBG Systems Evaluates INS Performance in GNSS-Denied Marine Applications

SBG Systems evaluates the performance of its INS solutions in GNSS-denied marine environments, comparing system accuracy with and without DVL and warm-up support

Jul 14, 2025
USAF Uses Inertial Labs Drone Lidar for Tree Obstruction Survey

The US Air Force successfully used Inertial Labs drone Lidar and cloud software to quickly map tree obstructions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), improving airfield safety

Jul 11, 2025
New UAV to Combine Solar Hydrogen & Battery Power for Extended Flight

XSun and H3 Dynamics are developing the first UAV powered by solar, hydrogen, and batteries, aiming to deliver zero-emission, long-endurance unmanned flight

Jul 07, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.