Amazon is working on a new drone that will better accommodate their Prime Air delivery service, as reported by The Verge. The new MK30 drone is slated for release in 2024, and it will be quieter and more resilient.
(Photo : PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Amazon signage is displayed outside of an Amazon.com Inc. delivery hub in the late evening of Amazon Prime Day, July 12, 2022 in Culver City, California.
The New MK30
The MK30 will be lighter and smaller and it will undergo a more rigorous evaluation by national aerospace authorities, such as the Federal Aviation Administration to provide the drone's safety and reliability.
With this, it doesn't seem like Amazon will be giving up on its efforts to launch its Prime Air drone delivery service. In July of this year, they announced that their next test site will be College Station, Texas, where it's partnering with the city and Texas A&M University.
Preps for Takeoff
Amazon is also in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local officials in Lockeford, California, to launch their drone delivery service later this year.
Lockeford residents can sign up for free drone delivery on thousands of everyday items. When a customer places an order, they will be given an estimated arrival time, along with a status tracker. Then, the drone will fly to the delivery location, descend to the customer's backyard, and hover at a safe height. The drone will release the package and fly back to HQ.
Also Read: Amazon to Start Making Drone Deliveries in Texas in Late 2022
The Challenges
However, it is not without challenges. For one, Amazon has to get approval from the FAA. Next, the company has still a long way to go to reach its goal of operating a 30-minute delivery service straight over your home's roof.
Amazon devices are also facing billions of dollars in operating losses, and currently, it is finding ways to cut costs.
It started in 2013 when Amazon started testing drone delivery. Back then, founded and former CEO Jeff Bezos said that the drone delivery service will roll out in four to five years. By 2019, the company said their drones would start making deliveries within months. However, their service faced issues since then, such as several crashes during testing.
By 2020, the company became the third company to receive a Part 135 air carrier certificate from the FAA to operate a commercial drone delivery service.
So far, Amazon has tested over two dozen prototypes, and the latest will have a "Sense-and-avoid-system," which will allow the drone to fly even without visual observers. Their drones can fly up to 50 miles per hour at an altitude of up to 400 feet.
Amazon is engaging in a lot of activities lately, and their latest drone to replace the current model is a promising development. However, there are still a lot of hoops to jump through before the company can roll out Prime Air, especially from the legal aspects. It is undeniably good news for the drone community as it will be a long-awaited step for the mainstream use of drones. But for now, we'll just have to wait for Amazon's next moves and see if things will go as the company expects them.
Related Article: Amazon's Drone Delivery System Is Not Doing Well So Far
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Written by April Fowell
