Launching the second phase of RuPay card, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that India will soon be sending Bhutanese satellite to space.<br /><br />"India opened its space sector for private enterprises. It will boost innovation, capacity and skills. ISRO will be sending Bhutan's satellite next year and work on that is progressing fast," He said.<br /><br />"Like other Indians I have great love and friendship with Bhutan, when I meet you all its like meeting our own," Prime Minister told the Bhutanese audience on the occasion. <br /><br />"The relation between India and Bhutan is important and best example for the world," the prime minister added.<br /><br />He said he is happy that 11,000 transaction took place through RuPay card in Bhutan, and if the Covid pandemic would not have hit the volume could have been greater.<br /><br />"From my visit to Bhutan, in the phase-1 of RuPay card launch, till now, 11,000 successful RuPay transactions have taken place in Bhutan. Today with the launch of phase-2, we welcome Bhutan as a full-time partner in the RuPay network," Modi said.<br /><br />Prime Minister along with Bhutan Prime Minister had launched the first phase of RuPay card last year during his visit.<br /><br />Prime Minister of Bhutan lauded Modi's efforts in tackling the pandemic.<br /><br />"The Excellency's (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) leadership in tackling the pandemic at home is highly commended," Lotay Tshering said.<br /><br />"I am sure India will come out much stronger from the pandemic. The lead that India is taking in developing vaccines is source of hope for all of us."<br /><br />The Bhutan Prime Minister thanked India for promising to provide vaccine when it is ready.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/mumbais-massive-power-cut-last-month-may-have-been-the-work-of-hackers/articleshow/79318282.cms">Mumbai’s massive power cut last month may have been the work of hackers</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/vodafone-idea-shares-jump-after-selling-stake-in-indus-towers-for-3760-crore/articleshow/79316662.cms">Vodafone Idea soars nearly 5% on fund infusion from Indus Towers stake sale</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pubg-mobile-india-was-supposed-to-launch-today/articleshow/79315462.cms"><strong>PUBG Mobile India was rumoured to launch today — but there is no official update from the company</strong></a><br />

ISRO to launch satellite for Bhutan next year and train four Bhutanese space engineers

<ul><li><keyword id="10730402" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-space-startup-agnikul">Indian space startup Agnikul</keyword> Cosmos has become the world’s first company to successfully test a fully <keyword id="3176690" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="3D-printed-rocket-engine">3D printed rocket engine</keyword>.</li><li>It only takes four days to produce and can carry payloads of upto 100 kilos into lower earth orbit (LEO).</li><li>While the first company to be successful in such an endeavour, there are others who are fast catching up and realise the value of 3D printed engines versus conventional assembly.</li></ul>Rocket engines are tough to build, and they’re even tougher to 3D print because all the details have to be ‘just right’ for the rocket to work successfully. But, an <keyword id="10031551" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-space-startup">Indian space startup</keyword> based out of Chennai has pulled off this mammothian task. <br /><br /><keyword id="7122982" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agnikul-cosmos">Agnikul Cosmos</keyword> has successfully fired its higher stage semi-cryogenic <keyword id="413298" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rocket-engine">rocket engine</keyword> called Agnilet. “This entire engine, Agnilet, is just one piece of hardware from start to finish and has zero assembled parts,” said co-founder and CEO Srinath Ravichandran.<br /><br /><div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S1GVGbn4-U4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>]]></cdata></div><br />Normally, rocket engines have 100s of different parts that have to be built individually. This includes things like injectors which inject fuel into the engine, cooling channels that ensure the engine doesn’t overheat and the igniter which actually kindles propellants to push the rocket off the ground.<br /><br />Agnilet, on the other hand, is a three-in-one solution. It takes all three of these modules and puts them into a single piece of hardware. There is no complex assembly and the turnaround time for the entire setup is less than four days. <br /><br />The rocket engine is capable of carrying upto 100 kilos to low earth orbit (LEO), which is around 700 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. That’s only a fraction of what the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is capable of and possibly only enough to carry a single satellite at most.<br /><br /><strong>Agnikul may be the first to be successful, but it’s not alone<br /></strong>Agnikul was the first <keyword id="3081463" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-space">Indian space</keyword> startup to enter into a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the Department of Space (DoS) under the newly established Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Agnilet - Agnibaan’s higher stage semicryogenic engine(1)" msid="80763882" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Agnilet - Agnibaan’s higher stage semicryogenic engine&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Another space startup that’s hot its heels is Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace founded by former Indian Space Research Organisation (<keyword id="6358064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro">ISRO</keyword>) scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. In September last year, they too revealed their fully 3D printer cryogenic rocket engine dubbed Dhawan-I. <br /><br />Dhawan-I will be used to power the Vikram-II rocket, which Skyroot is also building from scratch. <br /><br />The startup entered an NDA with the DoS earlier this month on February 2. They will be able to use ISRO’s test and launch facilities to test their Vikram-I rocket and eventually Dhawan-I as well. <br /><br />The global space industry is expected to generate $1.1 trillion or more by 2040, according to <a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/investing-in-space">Morgan Stanley</a> — more than triple its current value of $350 billion. And, new space engine technology like 3D printed rocket engines are expected to play a big role in this explosion of value.<br /><br />But even international players like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), <a href="https://3dprint.com/278184/startup-accelerator-ursa-major-is-3d-printing-rocket-engines-to-grow-space-economy/">Ursa Major</a> and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are only 3D printing components for rocket engines. This means that putting together these engines and making sure they work is still a fairly complicated task. <br /><br />The only US-based startup close to producing a fully 3D printed rocket engine is <a href="https://manufactur3dmag.com/firehawk-aerospace-raises-2-million-for-3d-printed-rocket-engines/">Firehawk Aerospace</a>, and they only just raised the $2 million needed to start on their project.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/meet-the-lawyer-turned-fitness-entrepreneur-who-is-training-alia-bhatt-ranbir-kapoor-kiara-advani-among-others/articleshow/80761071.cms">Meet the lawyer-turned-fitness entrepreneur who is training Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Kiara Advani among others</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/joe-biden-and-narendra-modi-spoke-over-the-phone-last-night-heres-what-they-discussed/articleshow/80759960.cms">Joe Biden and Narendra Modi spoke over the phone last night⁠— here’s what they discussed</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/meet-the-it-veteran-making-a-comeback-as-tech-mahindras-cfo/articleshow/80708957.cms"><strong>Meet the 63-year old making a comeback as Tech Mahindra's CFO</strong></a><br />

Indian space startup fires world’s first fully 3D printed rocket engine as others play catch up

The Indian Space Research Organisation (<keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword>) and <keyword id="10387" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="microsoft" source="Orion">Microsoft</keyword> on Thursday announced a collaboration to fuel the growth of space technology startups in the country.<br /><br />Through this tie-up, the space tech startups identified by ISRO will be on-boarded onto the 'Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub' platform, which supports startups at every stage of their journey from idea to unicorn.<br /><br />"ISRO's collaboration with Microsoft will greatly benefit space tech startups in their analysis and processing of vast amounts of satellite data for various applications, using cutting-edge methods like AI, Machine Learning and <keyword id="2144645" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="deep-learning" source="Orion">Deep Learning</keyword>," said <keyword id="2618685" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="s-somanath" source="Orion">S Somanath</keyword>, Chairman of ISRO.<br /><br />Through 'Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub', space-tech startup founders in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> will have free access to the tech tools, and resources they need to build and run their businesses.<br /><br />This includes technical support to build and scale on Azure, best-in-class developer and productivity tools including GitHub Enterprise, Visual Studio Enterprise and Microsoft 365 and access to smart analytics with Power BI and Dynamics 365.<br /><br />"Through our technology tools, platforms and mentorship opportunities, we are deeply committed to empowering space tech startups in the country to drive cutting-edge innovation and accelerate scientific discovery," said Anant Maheshwari, President of Microsoft India.<br /><br />Microsoft will also provide mentoring support to space tech entrepreneurs in areas ranging from space engineering to cloud technologies, product and design, fundraising and sales and marketing.<br /><br />In addition, founders will have access to Microsoft Learn for tailored startup-centric training content and programmes to help them build connections with the industry and potential customers, said the tech giant.<br /><br />Microsoft and ISRO will also jointly organise knowledge-sharing and thought leadership sessions for the startups with space industry experts.<br /><br />The government has opened up the space sector for private players. The country has more than 100 active startups in the space tech sector.<br /><br /><b>SEE ALSO:<br /></b><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-infosys-wipro-and-other-it-companies-earnings-preview-for-q3-fy23/articleshow/96731891.cms"><strong>December quarter likely to be a weak one for the IT sector – Infosys amongst top analyst picks</strong></a><b><u><strong><br /></strong></u></b><b></b><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/hyderabadi-satya-nadella-insulted-by-his-own-software-as-it-calls-biryani-a-tiffin/articleshow/96756350.cms"><strong>Hyderabadi Satya Nadella 'insulted' by his own software as it calls Biryani a tiffin</strong></a>

Microsoft join hands with ISRO to empower spacetech startups in India

<ul><li>Musk’s one word pat-on-the back for <keyword id="6358064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro">ISRO</keyword> has got Twitter raging.</li><li><keyword id="6797456" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gaganyaan">Gaganyaan</keyword> is ISRO’s most ambitious project till date.</li><li>ISRO stated that the <keyword id="6709453" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vikas-engine">Vikas Engine</keyword> was fired for about 240 seconds. </li></ul>SpaceX and Tesla chief <keyword id="6355315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="elon-musk">Elon Musk</keyword> has congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the third test of the Vikas Engine that will be used for the Gaganyaan programme. <br /><br /><br />Musk’s one word tweet ‘Congratulations’ along with the Indian flag emoji has become a rage now. He was replying to the tweet by ISRO on the engine check.<br /><br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="elonmusk" handlename="Elon Musk" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1404334078388670466/DgO3WL4S_normal.jpg" favoritecount="34557" retweetcount="3561" status="@isro Congratulations! 🇮🇳" createdat="1626287902000" id="1415380164679282692"></div><br /><br /><br />Previously when SpaceX launched astronauts into Earth’s orbit, ISRO congratulated Musk’s space-tech firm SpaceX on the historic launch. <br /><br /><br />ISRO stated that the Vikas Engine was fired for about 240 seconds at the facility in Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu and this will be the final test before launching the vehicle. <br /><br /><br />Gaganyaan is ISRO’s most ambitious project, till date, with an aim of sending humans to space through an Indian made vehicle. The first mission is planned for December 2021 and the next one is for 2022-23. However, it might get delayed due to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/indias-human-space-flight-mission-may-face-slight-delay-as-it-resumes-launching-rockets-in-november/articleshow/78631436.cms">pandemic</a>. <br /><br /><br />The mission was announced by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2018 and he mentioned that this was being planned to happen before the 75th anniversary of India’s independence. <br /><br /><br />Four people have been selected for the mission from the Indian Air Force -- a captain and three commanders after a one year training in Russia. <br /><br /><br />Space travel has attracted a lot of interest in recent times after billionaire <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/watch-live-as-richard-branson-flies-to-the-edge-of-space-aboard-a-virgin-galactic-rocket-plane-on-sunday/articleshow/84238729.cms">Richard Branson</a> flew to space for a test flight. And Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is set to fly later this month. <br /><br /><br />A few media reports also said that SpaceX is planning to manufacture satellite communications equipment in India and it is also planning to launch <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/elon-musks-spacex-could-offer-global-starlink-satellite-internet-coverage-by-september-its-president-says/articleshow/83744781.cms">Starlink satellite</a> broadband services. <br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO - <br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/netflix-plans-to-add-video-games-to-its-categories/articleshow/84433119.cms">Netflix will reportedly add video games on its platform ‘within the next year’</a><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/just-dial-share-price-surge-as-mukesh-ambani-is-looking-to-buy-just-dial/articleshow/84432450.cms"><strong>As Mukesh Ambani reportedly dials in, Just Dial stocks surge 3%</strong></a><br />

SpaceX chief Elon Musk replies to ISRO tweet on Gaganyaan’s Vikas Engine firing success

The <keyword id="9387733" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="first-unmanned-test-flight">first unmanned test flight</keyword> of Indian rocket <keyword id="502946" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Geosynchronous-Satellite-Launch-Vehicle">Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle</keyword> (GSLV), as part of the country's human space mission Gaganyaan, will not happen this year, said officials.<br /><br /><keyword id="4491776" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-Indian-Space-Research-Organisation">The Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="6358064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro">ISRO</keyword>) had planned the first of the two test flights later this year.<br /><br />"The first flight of the rocket as part of <keyword id="6827364" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gaganyaan-mission">Gaganyaan mission</keyword> will not happen this year (2020)," a senior ISRO official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told IANS.<br /><br />While the actual reason for the delay is not known, perhaps the Covid-19 lockdown had its impact on the first test flight.<br /><br />In his address at the 70th Annual General Meeting and National Conference on "Recent Developments in Aerospace and Defence Technology" organised by Aeronautical Society of India in February, ISRO chief K. Sivan had said that the "design and engineering of the launch vehicle and orbital module system for India's human space flight has been completed. A series of tests have to be competed to validate the design and engineering of the systems in 2020".<br /><br />As per the original plans, during the first test flight ISRO would send its humanoid Vyommitra.<br /><br />The human space flight demonstration is planned before India's 75th Independence Day in 2022 and four Indians are undergoing astronaut training in Russia.<br /><br />Meanwhile, suspense continues on the revised date of launch of India's first Geo Imaging Satellite-1 (GISAT-1).<br /><br />On March 4, a day before the scheduled launch GISAT-1 onboard the GSLV-F10 rocket and hours before the start of the launch countdown, ISRO announced postponement of the mission owing to some technical glitch.<br /><br />The ISRO did not share any detail about the technical glitch and its rectification since then.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/a-russian-rocket-broke-up-in-space-above-the-indian-ocean-leaving-dangerous-debris-in-its-wake/articleshow/75667093.cms">A Russian rocket broke up in space above the Indian Ocean — leaving dangerous debris in its wake</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/china-ahead-of-india-in-human-spaceflight-after-successful-landing-on-spacecraft/articleshow/75621273.cms"><strong>China’s unmanned spacecraft makes a successful return to Earth⁠— racing ahead of India on the path to having a space station</strong></a><br />

Gaganyaan's first unmanned test flight won't be happening this year

India is flexing its prowess of space technology by embarking on an unprecedented and un-chartered 'stratospheric diplomacy' through a special Rs 450 crore gift for south Asians, according to PTI.<br /> <br /> India is carving a very unique place in the universe, this week New Delhi will 'gift' a heavyweight bird in the sky to its neighbours through the '<keyword id="52011" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="South-Asia">South Asia</keyword> <keyword id="6358065" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Satellite">Satellite</keyword>'.<br /> <br /> The country is opening its heart out to its neighbours, explains <keyword id="193522" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="External-Affairs-Ministry">External Affairs Ministry</keyword> spokesperson Gopal Baglay, adding "neighbourhood first is now being extended beyond the stratosphere".<br /> <br /> It seems this 'gift' of a communications satellite for use by neighbours at no cost has no parallels in the space- faring world, all other current regional consortia are commercial for-profit enterprises.<br /> <br /> Prashant Agarwal, an IIT Kanpur-trained engineer and the point-person in the Ministry of External Affairs piloting the project told the news agency, "Prime Minister <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword> has actually extended his slogan '<keyword id="4476385" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sab-ka-saath-sab-ka-vikas">Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas</keyword>' to India's neighbourhood essentially to service the needs of the poor in South Asia."<br /> <br /> On May 5, the skies above the island of <keyword id="6355143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sriharikota">Sriharikota</keyword> on the coast of the Bay of Bengal will be lit up as the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) also called the 'naughty boy of <keyword id="6358064" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO">ISRO</keyword>' on its 11th mission will carry a message of peace like never before.<br /> <br /> The nearly 50-m-tall rockthat weighs about 412 tons will carry what is now dubbed as the 'South Asia Satellite' or what the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) still prefers to call GSAT-9.<br /> <br /> The 2230-kg satellite has been fabricated in three years and is purely a communications satellite costing Rs 235 crore.<br /><br />

India’s space diplomacy is making ripples all across the globe and this is the man to be thanked for

<br /><br /><ul><li>The European ‘RemoveDEBRIS’ experiment launched a harpoon that successfully captured space trash last Friday. </li><li>The mission, led by Guglielmo Aglietti, is the only one the world that focusing on cleaning up outer space. </li><li>But space debris isn’t only a problem for Europe but also other countries that are gearing up to launch more satellites into space.</li></ul>Space debris is a burgeoning concern in the face of <keyword id="435085" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-travel">space travel</keyword> but a European experiment led by a team of British engineers is on a mission to solve this crisis. <br /><br />The program, led by University of Surrey’s Guglielmo Aglietti, on Friday shot a harpoon at a satellite panel and hit the bulls eye — kind of like an outer space trash stick. <br /><br />The harpoon was fired from the RemoveDEBRIS satellite — meant to clean up junk that launched on board the SpaceX Falcon rocket in April last year. At 20 meters per second, it was successfully lodged into a previously set up piece of test debris.<br /><br />
  
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<br />Aglietti <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/over-half-a-million-chunks-of-space-trash-could-jeopardize-space-travel-but-europe-has-a-plan-to-save-it/articleshow/66465698.cms">previously</a> told Business Insider that, “At the end of the day, the final goal is to be able to capture very large targets, so, possibly what one of the targets that has been mentioned, as a potential one, is an old satellite, Envisat, and it is maybe the size of a bus.”<br /><br /><strong>It’s not just about Europe<br /></strong><br />The problem of space debris is that not only does it threaten space travel but also the orbits of telecommunications satellites. <br /><br />These satellites are the infrastructure behind making television, radio, phones and even the internet work — not to mention their importance in defence communications. <br /><br />And while Europe is cleaning up the mess, China <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612595/china-launched-more-rockets-into-orbit-in-2018-than-any-other-country/">launched</a> more rockets into orbit last year than any other country around the world. Russia and the United States follow closely, with the latter’s launches continuously increasing year-on-year.<br /><br />In fact, the United States and Russia are responsible for most of the space debris around Earth’s orbit right now. <br /><br />
  
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<br />Even India is aggressively increasing its presence in space. 2018 was one of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/2018-was-a-remarkable-year-for-indias-space-agency-isro-here-were-the-top-5-successful-missions/articleshow/67284873.cms">busiest</a> years for the <keyword id="116095" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (ISRO) with over 15 missions and 150 satellite launches. <br /><br />India’s nodal space agency also set a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isro-india-plans-launch-of-hyperspectral-imaging-satellite-hysis-on-thursday/articleshow/66811381.cms">new record</a> for itself onboard the PSLV-C43 rocket by successfully launching 31 satellites all at once.<br /><br />India and Japan are <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/india-and-japan-to-work-together-in-fighting-the-serious-threat-of-space-debris/1431614/">considering</a> a joint venture to take on the problem that will be on the agenda in March during the first India-Japan Space Dialogue. <br /><br />While, every country recognises the threat of the space debris — not everyone is willing to shell out the money to clean it up. The current mission with Aglietti at the help was sponsored by the entire European community and cost $56.5 million.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-race-to-become-the-next-space-superpower-lands-china-on-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/articleshow/67364186.cms">The race to become the next space ‘superpower’ lands China on the ‘dark side’ of the moon</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isro-nasa-just-spotted-a-black-hole-spinning-so-fast-that-it-could-be-making-space-itself-rotate/articleshow/66416605.cms">ISRO, NASA just spotted a black hole spinning so fast that it could be making space itself rotate</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/russia-to-help-india-with-its-first-manned-space-mission-may-train-astronauts-abroad-the-iss/articleshow/66086890.cms">Russia to help India with its first manned space mission, may train astronauts aboard the ISS</a><br />

Europe is setting an example on how to clean up outer space — using a harpoon

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Flying is the safest mode of transportation, but some airports are more dangerous than others.</li><li>Mountains, unpredictable weather, short runways, and poor infrastructure can make flying more difficult.</li></ul><p>Sometimes, it's okay to clap when a plane lands.</p><p>Despite the common fear of flying, air travel is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/secret-hidden-airplane-safety-features-2019-12">safest</a> mode of transportation with tens of thousands of planes journeying across the globe every day, and the odds of being in a major commercial accident are extremely low — about one in six million, according to the International Air Transport Association's 2022 safety <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2023-releases/2023-03-07-01/">report</a>.</p><p>In fact, the report revealed there were just five fatal accidents among 32.2 million commercial flights in 2022. The impressive record is thanks to a heightened focus on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/secret-hidden-airplane-safety-features-2019-12">aviation safety</a> over the decades.</p><p>Airport design and geography, in particular, are major factors in how risky an aircraft operation is. Most passenger airports have robust infrastructure like visual aids and alerts that keep pilots aware of what's going on in and around the airfield.</p><p>Runways are usually paved with clear taxi and hold instructions — albeit <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/near-miss-incidents-wakeup-call-to-the-aviation-industry-2023-2">recent near-misses in the US</a> suggest there is still work to be done when it comes to airport safety.</p><p>However, there are some places that have such minimal technology and are so dangerous to take off and land at that only a handful of aviators are trusted to fly in the rough conditions — and their skill may deserve a round of applause.</p><p>Here are eight of the most challenging airports in the world to operate an airplane.</p><h2>Barra Airport in Scotland</h2><div type="image" title="A Loganair plane on Barra Airport's sand airfield. A caution sign warning of sand storms from aircraft blasts is beside the runway." height="1333" width="1778" msid="103780846" hostid="261"></div><p>Barra Airport is located on a tiny island off the west coast of Scotland in an area known as The Isles of Barra and Vatersay. Due to the remote territory and low demand, the airport only has a control tower and a small terminal but there is no space for an actual runway.</p><p>Instead, airplanes land on three triangle sand strips located along the water at Traigh Mhor, allowing planes to land in any direction depending on the winds. </p><p>Barra Airport is actually the <a href="https://www.hial.co.uk/barra-airport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only</a> airport with scheduled flights where planes land on sand — but it makes flying there extremely difficult.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2018/11/08/the-17-most-dangerous-airports-in-the-world-and-why-you-must-experience-them/?sh=448239882a8f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forbes</a>, the runways are only five feet above sea level and completely vanish at high tide, so pilots must be alert to unexpected weather and changing tide conditions.</p><p>Fortunately for pilots and passengers, the airport has safety procedures to help tackle the unusual terrain.</p><p>In July, Barra Airport flight information officer Joyce Beverstock told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/travel/2023/07/20/beach-runway-barra-airport-scotland-lon-orig.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> that there are "beach inspections" before every flight and security patrols that keep people from venturing out onto the runways.</p><p><a href="https://www.loganair.co.uk/en-gb/flights-to-barra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Loganair</a> is the only airline that regularly serves Barra, with flights from Glasgow, Scotland, using the rugged de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, a <a href="https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/de-havilland-canada-dhc-6-twin-otter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian-made aircraft</a> specially designed for challenging terrain and short runways.</p><h2>Paro International Airport in Bhutan</h2><div type="image" title="A plane landing at Paro airport looking down at the runway from above." height="1338" width="1784" msid="103780847" hostid="261"></div><p>Bhutan's Paro International Airport is one of the most geographically complicated airports in the world.</p><p>Located in a valley between 18,000-foot peaks and dense forest trees, only a few dozen pilots have been specially trained to fly in and out, and flights are only allowed during <a href="https://www.paroairport.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">daytime</a> hours.</p><p>According to Forbes, a few factors make the approach particularly dangerous, including the steep 45-degree turn into the runway — which the pilots can't even see until moments before dropping onto the airfield.</p><p>The runway is also very <a href="https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_23/737-700Bhutan_story.html#:~:text=Paro%20International%20Airport%2C%20in%20the,airports%20for%20takeoffs%20and%20landings." target="_blank" rel="noopener">short</a> at just 6,500 feet, meaning the narrowbody planes flying to and from the airport must operate within very strict speed and altitude parameters.</p><p>Moreover, the airport <a href="https://simpleflying.com/bhutan-paro-airport-exclusivity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lacks</a> helpful radar systems that could help guide the planes in, so aviators must rely on their eyes and training.</p><p>Currently, only two carriers fly to Paro Airport: state-owned flag carrier Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines and privately-owned Bhutan Airlines, both <a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/findflight?origin=VQPR&amp;destination=VECC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flying</a> Airbus A319s.</p><h2>Juancho E Yrausquin Airport in the Dutch Caribbean</h2><div type="image" title="A top-down view of Saba island with the airport in the top left of the picture with the blue ocean in the background." height="1196" width="1595" msid="103780849" hostid="261"></div><p>The world's shortest commercial runway is on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba, which is located east of the US Virgin Islands and south of Anguilla.</p><p>With just five square miles of space to work with and few flat areas, the airport's asphalt landing strip only stretches about one-fourth of a mile at a mere 1,300 feet long.</p><p>The short runway paired with mountain cliffs means the margin for error is extremely narrow, and pilot precision is key to <a href="https://www.insider.com/worlds-most-terrifying-airport-runways-2016-7">preventing the aircraft from nose-diving</a> off the end of the runway and into the ocean.</p><p>Similar to Paro Airport<a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/saba-airport-shortest-commercial-runway/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>, just a select number of aviators are trained to fly in and out of Saba. The only airline with scheduled flights is Sint Maarten-based <a href="https://www.winair.sx/destinations/saba-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Winair</a> using a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.</p><p>Winair fleet instructor Captain Roger Hodge told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/saba-airport-shortest-commercial-runway/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> in July 2022 that flying into Saba is extremely challenging, and "adrenaline" can kick in.</p><p>"Flying into Saba gets kind of hairy sometimes, but by knowing what to do, we make it look simple and calm," he said.</p><h2>Courchevel International Airport in the French Alps</h2><div type="image" title="A plane landing at Courchevel Airport in the French Alps." height="1325" width="1766" msid="103780850" hostid="261"></div><p>Courchevel International Airport in the French Alps provides access to one of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/courchevel-1850-france-most-luxurious-ski-resort-world-2022-11">world's most luxurious ski destinations</a>, but only specially trained pilots can tackle the airport's awkward downhill slope and short 1,700-foot runway.</p><p>The strip's 18.5% downward gradient is a particularly challenging factor, according to Forbes, meaning pilots must maneuver perfectly. </p><p>Plus, the unforgiving landscape paired with the airport's lack of lights or guidance systems means flights are only possible in clear weather conditions — wind and storms would make flying in or out too risky.</p><p>The only scheduled air carrier flying to the airport is France's Alpine Airlines, which uses a Vulcanair P68 Turbo Observer aircraft built for short-field performance. However, private jets and helicopters also use the risky landing strip.</p><h2>Toncontin International Airport in Honduras</h2><div type="image" title="A plane landing at Toncontin International Airport." height="1370" width="1826" msid="103780852" hostid="261"></div><p>To reach Honduras' capital city of Tegucigalpa, pilots must first maneuver through mountainous terrain before making a sharp turn and steep descent into the Toncontin International Airport — similar to the conditions in Bhutan.</p><p>The treacherous conditions are made even more difficult by the short 7,100-foot runway, with the biggest concern being the risk of jets overshooting the runway.</p><p>This actually happened in 2008 when a <a href="https://reports.aviation-safety.net/2008/20080530-0_A320_EI-TAF_PRELIM.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TACA Airlines Airbus A320</a> skidded off the runway and into a street, killing three people onboard — including the captain — and two people on the ground.</p><p>However, some concerns at the airport have been remedied with the <a href="https://ticotimes.net/2021/10/19/new-honduras-airport-to-replace-one-of-worlds-most-dangerous" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening</a> of the new Palmerola International Airport in 2021. Only domestic flights now operate at Toncontin with all international flights going through the safer Palmerola, which has a 9,200-foot runway.</p><h2>Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten</h2><div type="image" title="Beachgoers enjoying a Delta airliner fly overhead at Maho Beach." height="2955" width="3940" msid="103780854" hostid="261"></div><p>Probably the most famous airport on this list is Princess Juliana International Airport on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, mostly due to its scenic approach that flies directly over a public beach.</p><p>Tourists and planespotters alike are known to line the airport fence waiting for huge jetliners to take off and land overhead, though the activity can be dangerous with people being knocked off their feet — and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3vxFTjC1SM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even killed</a> — due to the jet engine blasts.</p><p>Aircraft landing at Princess Juliana are not only dangerous for those on the ground, but the 7,100-foot runway and low approach push larger commercial aircraft to their operating limit. </p><p>But, airlines seem to be managing as planes as big as the massive <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-france-jet-hurricane-landing-2012-8">Boeing 747 have visited Sint Maartan's airport.</a></p><h2>Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Lukla Airport) in Nepal</h2><div type="image" title="A plane getting to takeoff from runway 24 at Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Nepal with clouds, mountains, and greenery in the background." height="1334" width="1778" msid="103780857" hostid="261"></div><p>Officially named Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla is the gateway to Mt. Everest with hundreds of climbers traveling through the airport on their way to and from base camp.</p><p>Lukla is like the Rainbow Road of flying, but pilots have to zig-zag between peaks — one of them being the world's tallest mountain — while simultaneously trying to navigate down to a mere 1,700-foot, one-way airstrip. And, the <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-nepal-has-so-many-fatal-plane-crashes-2023-1">airport has minimal infrastructure to assist</a>.</p><p>Maintaining speed and altitude is key to safety, and there is little to no room for error due to the steep incline required for takeoff and the unpredictable weather that could see sunny skies turn to zero visibility in a matter of minutes — meaning it's hit-or-miss if the flight will actually depart as scheduled.</p><p>Plus, the airport is situated at an altitude of about 10,000 feet where air is less dense. This can <a href="https://www.altitudehimalaya.com/blog/lukla-airport-of-nepal#:~:text=Short%20runway%3A%20Lukla%20Airport's%20runway,off%20within%20the%20available%20distance." target="_blank" rel="noopener">impact aircraft performance</a> and it make it more difficult for pilots to control their plane.</p><p>The airport is no stranger to disaster, either. According to the <a href="https://aviation-safety.net/database/airport/airport.php?id=LUA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aviation Safety Network</a>, 56 people have died on flights arriving, departing, or near Lukla since 2004.</p><p>"Most runways are quite flat and are quite long, whereas [Lukla] is on a hillside," former Lukla pilot Jimbo Burgess told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/travel/2023/08/03/most-dangerous-airport-lukla-nepal-cprog-orig-fj.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> in August, noting the incline is a 30 or 40-degree slope. "The mountain is literally right at the other end of the airport, and the weather can change so quickly."</p>

7 of the most challenging airports around the world for airline pilots to take off and land at

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Flying is the safest mode of transportation, but some airports are more dangerous than others.</li><li>Mountains, weather, short runways, and poor infrastructure can make flying more difficult.</li></ul><p>Sometimes, it's okay to clap when a plane lands.</p><p>Despite the sometimes common fear of flying, air travel is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/secret-hidden-airplane-safety-features-2019-12">safest</a> mode of transportation, with tens of thousands of planes journeying across the globe every day. The odds of being in a major commercial accident are extremely low — about one in 6 million, according to the International Air Transport Association's 2022 safety <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2023-releases/2023-03-07-01/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>.</p><p>In fact, the report revealed there were just five fatal accidents among 32.2 million commercial flights in 2022. The impressive record is thanks to a heightened focus on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/secret-hidden-airplane-safety-features-2019-12">aviation safety</a> over the decades.</p><p>Airport design and geography, in particular, are major factors in how risky an aircraft operation is. Most passenger airports have robust infrastructure, like visual aids and alerts, that keep pilots aware of what's going on in and around the airfield.</p><p>And, the runways are usually paved with clear taxi and hold instructions — albeit <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/near-miss-incidents-wakeup-call-to-the-aviation-industry-2023-2">recent airport near-misses in the US</a> suggest there is still work to be done when it comes to on-the-ground safety.</p><p>Still, there are some places that have such minimal technology and are so dangerous to take off and land that only a handful of aviators are trusted to fly in the rough conditions — and their skill may deserve a round of applause.</p><p>Here are eight of the most challenging airports in the world to operate an airplane.</p><h2>Barra Airport in Scotland</h2><div type="image" title="A Loganair plane on Barra Airport's sand airfield. A caution sign warning of sand storms from aircraft blasts is beside the runway." height="1333" width="1778" msid="103280318" hostid="261"></div><p>Barra Airport is located on a tiny island off the west coast of Scotland in an area known as The Isles of Barra and Vatersay. Due to the remote territory and low demand, the airport only has a control tower and a small terminal, but there is no space for an actual runway.</p><p>Instead, airplanes land on three triangle sand strips located along the water at Traigh Mhor Beach, allowing planes to land in any direction depending on the winds. </p><p>Barra Airport is actually the <a href="https://www.hial.co.uk/barra-airport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only</a> airport with scheduled flights where planes land on sand — but it makes flying there extremely difficult.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2018/11/08/the-17-most-dangerous-airports-in-the-world-and-why-you-must-experience-them/?sh=448239882a8f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forbes</a>, the runways are only five feet above sea level and completely vanish at high tide, so pilots must be alert to unexpected weather and changing tide conditions.</p><p><a href="https://www.loganair.co.uk/en-gb/flights-to-barra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Loganair</a> is the only airline that regularly serves Barra. The carrier uses the rugged de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, a <a href="https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/de-havilland-canada-dhc-6-twin-otter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian-made aircraft</a> specially designed for challenging terrain and short runways.</p><h2>Paro International Airport in Bhutan</h2><div type="image" title="A plane landing at Paro airport looking down at the runway from above." height="1338" width="1784" msid="103280320" hostid="261"></div><p>Bhutan's Paro International Airport is one of the most geographically complicated airports in the world.</p><p>Located in a valley between 18,000-foot peaks and dense forest trees, only a few dozen pilots have been specially trained to fly in and out, and flights are only allowed during <a href="https://www.paroairport.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">daytime</a> hours.</p><p>According to Forbes, a few factors make the approach particularly dangerous, including the steep 45-degree turn into the runway — which the pilots can't even see until moments before dropping onto the airfield.</p><p>The runway is also very <a href="https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_23/737-700Bhutan_story.html#:~:text=Paro%20International%20Airport%2C%20in%20the,airports%20for%20takeoffs%20and%20landings." target="_blank" rel="noopener">short</a>, at just 6,500 feet, meaning the narrowbody planes flying to and from the airport must operate within strict speed and altitude parameters. Moreover, the airport <a href="https://simpleflying.com/bhutan-paro-airport-exclusivity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lacks</a> radar systems that could help guide the planes, so aviators must rely on their eyes and training. </p><p>Currently, only two carriers fly to Paro Airport: state-owned flag carrier Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines and privately-owned Bhutan Airlines, both <a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/findflight?origin=VQPR&amp;destination=VECC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flying</a> Airbus A319s.</p><h2>Juancho E Yrausquin Airport in the Dutch Caribbean</h2><div type="image" title="A top-down view of Saba island with the airport in the top left of the picture with the blue ocean in the background." height="1196" width="1595" msid="103280322" hostid="261"></div><p>The world's shortest commercial runway is on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba.</p><p>With just five square miles of space to work with and few flat areas, the airport's asphalt landing strip only stretches about one-fourth of a mile — at a mere 1,300 feet long.</p><p>The short runway, paired with mountain cliffs, means the margin for error is extremely narrow, and pilot precision is key to <a href="https://www.insider.com/worlds-most-terrifying-airport-runways-2016-7">preventing the aircraft from nose-diving</a> off the end of the runway and into the ocean.</p><p>Similar to Paro Airport<a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/saba-airport-shortest-commercial-runway/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>, just a select number of aviators are trained to fly in and out of Saba. The only airline with scheduled flights is Sint Maarten-based <a href="https://www.winair.sx/destinations/saba-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Winair</a> using a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.</p><h2>Courchevel International Airport in the French Alps</h2><div type="image" title="A plane landing at Courchevel Airport in the French Alps." height="1325" width="1766" msid="103280323" hostid="261"></div><p>Courchevel International Airport in the French Alps provides access to one of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/courchevel-1850-france-most-luxurious-ski-resort-world-2022-11">world's most luxurious ski destinations</a>, but only specially trained pilots can tackle the airport's awkward slope and short 1,700-foot runway.</p><p>The strip's 18.5% downward gradient is a particularly challenging factor, according to Forbes, meaning pilots must maneuver perfectly. </p><p>Plus, the unforgiving landscape, paired with the airport's lack of lights or guidance systems, means flights are only possible in clear weather conditions — wind and storms would make flying in or out too risky.</p><p>The <a href="http://alpine-airlines.com/en/courchevel-airport-private-commercial-flights-for-winter/">only</a> scheduled air carrier flying to the airport is France's Alpine Airlines, which uses a Vulcanair P68 Turbo Observer aircraft built for short-field performance. However, private jets and helicopters also use the landing strip.</p><h2>Phoenix Runway in Antarctica</h2><div type="image" title="A C-17 idles at the new Phoenix Airfield, testing the strength of its parking apron." height="1333" width="1777" msid="103280328" hostid="261"></div><p>A small club of people can say they've stepped foot in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ocean-endeavor-ship-antarctica-sail-intrepid-travel-2022-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Antarctica, most traveling by cruise ship</a> starting in places like Australia or Argentina.</p><p>But there is an even smaller number of people who have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-show-the-impressive-history-of-aviation-on-antarctica-2021-12">flown to the white continent</a> — a feat that was first accomplished in 1928, but has remained a challenge throughout history.</p><p>There are several makeshift landing strips available in Antarctica, like the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-airbus-a340-flies-to-antarctica-rates-start-at-14500-2023-2#we-had-to-embark-on-our-own-exploratory-mission-to-uncover-a-rumored-ice-runway-from-several-decades-back-he-explained-19">icy Wolf's Fang Runway</a> that can handle everything from tiny private jets to giant Airbus A340 jetliners.</p><p>But the one that is considered most dangerous is Phoenix Runway, which was certified for use in 2016 for the US Air Force's <a href="https://www.usap.gov/">US Antarctic Program</a> and is located near the McMurdo Station military base.</p><p>Giant planes like the USAF Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo jet can land on the icy runway thanks to several layers of densely compacted snow that the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/support/landstrp.jsp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Science Foundation</a> said is "nearly as hard as concrete."</p><p>While the landing strip is better than a downhill slope or soft sand, it doesn't have lights. This — combined with the 24/7 darkness in winter months and the potential for total white-out conditions — means pilots must sometimes rely heavily on cockpit instruments with zero visual cues outside.</p><h2>Toncontin International Airport in Honduras</h2><div type="image" title="A plane landing at Toncontin International Airport." height="1370" width="1826" msid="103280331" hostid="261"></div><p>To reach Honduras' capital city of Tegucigalpa, pilots must first maneuver through mountainous terrain before making a sharp turn and steep descent into the Toncontin International Airport — similar to the conditions in Bhutan.</p><p>The obstacles are made even more difficult by the short 7,100-foot runway, with the biggest concern being the risk of jets overshooting the landing strip.</p><p>This actually happened in 2008 when a <a href="https://reports.aviation-safety.net/2008/20080530-0_A320_EI-TAF_PRELIM.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TACA Airlines Airbus A320</a> skidded off the runway and into a street, killing three people onboard — including the captain — and two people on the ground.</p><p>However, some concerns at the airport have been remedied with the <a href="https://ticotimes.net/2021/10/19/new-honduras-airport-to-replace-one-of-worlds-most-dangerous" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening</a> of the new Palmerola International Airport in 2021. Only domestic flights now operate at Toncontin with all international flights going through the safer Palmerola, which has a 9,200-foot runway.</p><h2>Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten</h2><div type="image" title="Beachgoers enjoying a Delta airliner fly overhead at Maho Beach." height="2955" width="3940" msid="103280335" hostid="261"></div><p>Probably the most well-known airport on this list is Princess Juliana International Airport on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, mostly due to its scenic approach that flies directly over a public beach.</p><p>Tourists and planespotters alike are known to line the airport fence waiting for huge jetliners to take off and land, though the activity can be dangerous with people being knocked off their feet — and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3vxFTjC1SM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even tragically killed</a> — due to the strong jet engine blasts.</p><p>The aircraft landing at Princess Juliana are not only dangerous for those on the ground, but the 7,100-foot runway and low approach push larger commercial aircraft to their operating limits.</p><p>But, airlines seem to be managing considering planes as big as the massive <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-france-jet-hurricane-landing-2012-8">Boeing 747 have regularly flown to Sint Maarten's famous airport.</a></p><h2>Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Lukla Airport) in Nepal</h2><div type="image" title="An aircraft landing at Lukla Airport in Nepal." height="3887" width="5183" msid="103280339" hostid="261"></div><p>Officially named Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla is the gateway to Mt. Everest with hundreds of climbers traveling through the airport on their way to and from base camp.</p><p>Lukla is like the Rainbow Road of flying, but pilots have to zig-zag between peaks — one of them being the world's tallest mountain — while simultaneously trying to navigate down to a mere 1,700-foot, one-way airstrip. And, the <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-nepal-has-so-many-fatal-plane-crashes-2023-1">airport has minimal infrastructure to assist</a>.</p><p>Maintaining speed and altitude is key to safety, and there is little to no room for error due to the steep incline required for takeoff and the unpredictable weather that could see sunny skies turn to zero visibility in a matter of minutes — meaning its a hit-or-miss of if the flight will actually depart as scheduled.</p><p>Plus, the airport is situated at an altitude of about 10,000 feet where air is less dense. This can <a href="https://www.altitudehimalaya.com/blog/lukla-airport-of-nepal#:~:text=Short%20runway%3A%20Lukla%20Airport's%20runway,off%20within%20the%20available%20distance." target="_blank" rel="noopener">impact aircraft performance</a> and it make it more difficult for pilots to control their plane.</p><p>The airport is no stranger to disaster, either. According to the <a href="https://aviation-safety.net/database/airport/airport.php?id=LUA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aviation Safety Network</a>, 56 people have died on flights arriving, departing, or near Lukla since 2004.</p>

These 8 airports are some of the world's most dangerous &mdash; only a select group of pilots is allowed to use them

<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="People try to dislodge a truck stuck in the mud in Papa New Guinea " class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545904426bb3f7141c6ccb3f-960/am1_0985.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545904426bb3f7141c6ccb3f-1200-800/am1_0985.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p><p class="caption">People try to dislodge a truck stuck in the mud in Papa New Guinea </p></div><p></p></div></div>When Andreas Raptopoulos and his team got stuck in a 20-truck convoy completely marooned in mud while navigating between villages in Papua New Guinea, it was incredibly frustrating. It was also a validation of his work. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Raptopoulos is the cofounder and CEO of <a href="http://matternet.us/" target="_blank">a startup called Matternet</a>, which makes drones, though he refuses to use that word. He prefers to call them small unmanned aerial delivery vehicles, or UAVs.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He started the company after having a "eureka moment" three years ago. He realized one billion people around the world live in areas lacking reliable road systems and that drones could provide a more reliable way to deliver critical supplies, like medicine. </p>
<p dir="ltr">That's why Raptopoulos was in tuberculosis-ravaged Papua New Guinea in September, entrenched in mud. Matternet had connected with the <a href="https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/monthly.cfm?source=AZD140001D51&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;gclid=CLmfh_2358ECFaIF7AodsHYAIg" target="_blank">international aid organization Doctors Without Borders</a> to test whether its aerial vehicles could provide a good way to transfer TB diagnostics between villages. During the two weeks Matternet conducted its trials, multiple trucks got trapped.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"We had to do that trip four times and every time there was an element of fear," Raptopoulos tells Business Insider. "We thought, 'Will we make it?' We talk a lot about the problem, but it became very real for us. What it really means, and all the emotions that go with it." </p>
<p dir="ltr">Matternet's trucks may have gotten lodged in mud between launch sites, but its drones navigated their routes without a hitch. Controlled completely via an app, a UAV bearing a spittle sample would take off, fly through the air, and land at a hospital as far as 25 kilometers away. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545903586bb3f786196ccb3e-960/am2_3531.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545903586bb3f786196ccb3e-1280-851/am2_3531.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>For Raptopoulos, it felt like a series of "pinch me" moments. Every time the team prepped a drone for a take-off, anywhere from 50 to 70 people would surround them. These were often people who live without running water or reliable electricity in their homes, and yet the drones seemed to make sense to them almost immediately. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"<span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-8831-7e77-e5f0-c8336a406fca">Most of these people have never seen one of these things, at least in the flesh," Raptopoulos says, "<span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-8831-ff1b-6ae2-f83881b304c9">But it's amazing, the amount of joy it generates. It basically breaks with all your assumptions." </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">That's one of the underlying principles that Matternet builds upon: that its drones be so dead-simple to operate, that someone without significant technological training could instinctively figure out how to send one on a flight. That someone who had even the most minimal knowledge of how to operate a smartphone could direct the drone to deliver medicine, food, or other supplies from one location to another. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54590358ecad0418168b4568-960/am1_0014.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54590358ecad0418168b4568-1200-800/am1_0014.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p dir="ltr">For that reason, Raptopoulos likes to describe Matternet's UAVs as the Apple products of the drone space. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"We want this company to be at the intersection of the best technology and excellence in design," he says. "We want to sell a vehicle to you that you can operate with an unprecedented ease of use."</p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545cd5b86bb3f7bc1e5e46f6-960/matternet.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545cd5b86bb3f7bc1e5e46f6-634-475/matternet.png" border="0" alt="Matternet" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Right now, drones - and delivery drones in particular - are a buzzy topic, but when Matternet first got started, people mainly thought of them in terms of the military or security. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Today, they're being <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dhl-using-drone-delivery-in-germany-2014-9" target="_blank">used to deliver medicine in Germany</a> and the Federal Aviation Administration recently approved them for use in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-more-us-drone-use-coming-but-no-package-delivery-yet-2014-9" target="_blank">shooting movie and TV scenes</a> in the US. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-887a-a48d-f67a-5f060cefff07"> "Things are changing fast in this space," Raptopoulos says. "A year ago, there was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-drones-2014-7" target="_blank">no Amazon drone announcement</a>. A month ago there was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-testing-delivery-drones-2013-12" target="_blank">no Google drone</a> coming out."</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Matternet's early start combined with its powerhouse-team has it poised to take the drone space by storm and become one of "the next billion-dollar businesses," according to Matternet investor Ravi Belani, managing director of <a href="http://www.alchemistaccelerator.com" target="_blank">Alchemist, the startup accelerator Matternet graduated from</a>.<br /></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">Raptopoulos' vision for Matternet first hit him when he was attending <a href="http://singularityu.org/" target="_blank">Singularity University</a>, a non-traditional, future-focused school that aims to empower its students to apply "exponential technologies to address humanity's grand challenges."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Working as part of a larger team, Raptopoulos got hung up on the fact that one-seventh of the Earth's population lacked access to all-seasons roads and that developing a traditional, reliable transportation infrastructure in those places would take crazy amounts of money and upwards of 50 years.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He took a map of Africa and overlaid an internet-like network onto it. If he could build machines that could carry cargo short distances, each trip would be small, but the scale could be incredible. He says he got chills:  </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545ce2916bb3f792445e46f6-960/matternetafrica.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545ce2916bb3f792445e46f6-800-400/matternetafrica.png" border="0" alt="Matternet Africa" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p dir="ltr">Raptopoulos says when he and co-founder Paola Santana, previously a lawyer in the Dominican Republic, first started pitching the idea around, he got a lot of polite but confused responses. A lot of people thought they was crazy, Raptopoulos says. But the founders of Singularity University - futurist Ray Kurzweil and entrepreneur Peter Diamandis - loved the idea. After graduating from the University, they accepted Matternet into<a href="http://singularityu.org/labs/" target="_blank"> SU Labs</a>, the school's innovation accelerator. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545d275eeab8eafc0723d9b4-765-573/matternet-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet"><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p><p class="caption">Paola Santana and Andreas Raptopoulos</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Since then, Raptopoulos and Santana have built a lean team of 10 people who specialize in skills ranging from rocket science and engineering to law and regulation. The company has raised $2 million to date from the likes of Andreessen Horowitz, Alchemist Accelerator, and even the rapper Nas, but is eyeing a more significant Series A round in the near future. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Matternet's plan is to create a full stack product, handling both the hardware and the software themselves, while simultaneously making sure to stay abreast of every new legal hurdle in the drone space.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Right now, the FAA bans the use of commercial drones, but it is supposed to release rules for small drones under 55 pounds later this year, in line with its complete plan for "safe integration" of commercial drones by September 2015. Meanwhile, a team at NASA led by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-drone-traffic-management-system-2014-9" target="_blank">Dr. Parimal Kopardekar is developing a drone traffic management program</a> of its own to advise the FAA.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Matternet is one of the many UAV-focused companies that has met with Kopardekar's NexGen technology team to discuss different ways to provide a structure to drone traffic.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The startup plans to announce its first product in the first quarter of 2015, and start shipping a few months later. The goal is to have concrete agreements wi<span>th the likes of Doctors Without Borders and <span>the </span><a href="http://qz.com/245961/a-revolutionary-drone-based-delivery-network-is-being-tested-in-bhutan/" target="_blank">World Health Organization, which it tested with in Bhutan</a>, by the time Matternet's UAVs get launched. <span>Raptopolous couldn't name a concrete price point, but guesses that the Matternet system will go for between $2,000 and $5,000. </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">By launching in areas like Papua New Guinea and Bhutan - where its drones are sometimes flying over swaths of jungle or sparsely populated desert and where there isn't a strict existing aerial infrastructure - Matternet has fewer barriers to entry.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"The risk needs to be low if the UAV falls," NASA's Kopardekar tells Business Insider, noting that low-density areas make the most sense for drone testing and operations. "You need to be able to demonstrate the risk is very low and the benefits are high: That's where you will see implementation happening."</span></p>
<p dir="ltr">Although Raptopoulos landed upon the idea for Matternet because of a motivation to provide a transportation solution to parts of the world that lack access to all-season roads, the company has its sights set beyond humanitarian causes. After all, Matternet isn't a service company; it's a product company.  </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-8b2b-9dbf-27c2-e004d50899b9">"We are pioneering this technology by helping partners find ways to put it in the field now, but our vision is that we should be putting this type of technology into everybody's hands," he says, "Whether their purpose is in Papua New Guinea or Rio or Istanbul or Mexico City or in Palo Alto, San Francisco, and LA."</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545cfbc06da8112625f5a001-1200-706/matternet-city-day.jpg" border="0" alt="matternet city day"><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p><p class="caption">Matternet concept art</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><br /></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">"Sometimes mission-driven entrepreneurs get so hung up on their mission that they're missing the commercial opportunity, which they probably don't emotionally care that much about," Pascal Finette, who heads SU Labs, explains. "I think this duality - the dance between these two worlds - is something social entrepreneurs sometimes get wrong. But Andreas is just perfect. He's phenomenal because he understands, 'Hey, if we get this at scale and we can do this in the US and we become a big company, we can use all this as a force of good to do even more in the world.'"</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Raptopoulos sees Walgreens using Matternet's drones to deliver prescriptions, or grocery stores using them to deliver milk. Because the startup is small, lean, and fast-moving, he thinks it has a leg up on giants like Google or Amazon. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I think Andreas is a beautiful, bi-focal CEO," says Belani from Alchemist. "He is a true visionary who is always motivated by fundamentally changing the world. But he's very practical in the near term what's required to get things done. He's not a head-in-the-</span>clouds type of visionary. He's incredibly practical with a strong street sense of business."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Finette agrees: Raptopoulos and Santana dream big, but know how to actually move steadily forward. He laughs recalling how nonchalantly the team will talk about passing amazing, major milestones.  </p>
<p dir="ltr">"They talk about it as if it's nothing," he says. That speaks to their capacity as entrepreneurs, he says, because they understand that every achievement is just a small stepping stone towards the big idea. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545d038a69bedd4755c2663e-1134-851/matternet.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet"><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p><p class="caption">A Matternet UAV flying in Papua New Guinea</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Right now, Matternet's drones weigh well under 5 kilograms, can carry cargo over 0.5 kilograms, and fly over 25 kilometers on a battery charge. Their geo-fenced routes take into consideration weather data and terrain. They are equipped with cameras to help them navigate onto landing pads at their destinations. The entire system gets controlled by a smartphone app. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Raptopoulos calls it the "Apple II" of the drone industry: the "most easy to use, desirable, and safest personal flying vehicle" out there. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Not that Matternet is the only company trying to achieve that. Besides giants like Amazon and Google, there are other delivery drone companies out there, like <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/bizzby-trials-peer-drone-delivery-service/34636/" target="_blank">Bizzby</a> and <a href="http://aria-logistics.com/" target="_blank">Aria</a>. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"<span id="docs-internal-guid-849d2368-8b5f-6f00-d8b1-56e41164cfa3">A drone delivery network will be the most disruptive thing to hit the delivery space," says Brody Buhler, partner at consulting firm Accenture, who focuses on postal issues. "I<span id="docs-internal-guid-849d2368-8b5f-ce09-b3a9-0e249589bcdc">f you don't have drones on your five-year roadmap, you're probably too far out."</span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">Talking to Raptopoulos, that future feels even closer. He gets almost electrically bright-eyed when he talks about the moments he's had on trials in the Himalayas or Papua New Guinea. But his passion really radiates off him when he talks about what's yet to come.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"<span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-8b66-4458-ef6f-8474a19eb6a8">I'm going to keep on having these 'pinch me' moments," he says. "When we see our first big deployment in a city. When I'm able to see 20-30 crafts doing routine missions. When I'm able to actually see our drones in the sky and nobody will be paying attention, because they're just an establishment. And we can't wait."<br /></span></p>

Meet The Startup Building Drones That Could Save Lives 

<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/tech-360"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/541af597eab8eac1622c5ca3-800-75/deltatech360header800x75.jpg" border="0" width="800" height="75" /></a></p><p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="People try to dislodge a truck stuck in the mud in Papa New Guinea " class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545904426bb3f7141c6ccb3f-960/am1_0985.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545904426bb3f7141c6ccb3f-1200-800/am1_0985.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p><p class="caption">People try to dislodge a truck stuck in the mud in Papa New Guinea </p></div><p></p></div></div>When Andreas Raptopoulos and his team got stuck in a 20-truck convoy completely marooned in mud while navigating between villages in Papua New Guinea, it was incredibly frustrating. It was also a validation of his work. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Raptopoulos is the cofounder and CEO of <a href="http://matternet.us/" target="_blank">a startup called Matternet</a>, which makes drones, though he refuses to use that word. He prefers to call them small unmanned aerial delivery vehicles, or UAVs.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He started the company after having a "eureka moment" three years ago. He realized one billion people around the world live in areas lacking reliable road systems and that drones could provide a more reliable way to deliver critical supplies, like medicine. </p>
<p dir="ltr">That's why Raptopoulos was in tuberculosis-ravaged Papua New Guinea in September, entrenched in mud. Matternet had connected with the <a href="https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/monthly.cfm?source=AZD140001D51&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;gclid=CLmfh_2358ECFaIF7AodsHYAIg" target="_blank">international aid organization Doctors Without Borders</a> to test whether its aerial vehicles could provide a good way to transfer TB diagnostics between villages. During the two weeks Matternet conducted its trials, multiple trucks got trapped.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"We had to do that trip four times and every time there was an element of fear," Raptopoulos tells Business Insider. "We thought, 'Will we make it?' We talk a lot about the problem, but it became very real for us. What it really means, and all the emotions that go with it." </p>
<p dir="ltr">Matternet's trucks may have gotten lodged in mud between launch sites, but its drones navigated their routes without a hitch. Controlled completely via an app, a UAV bearing a spittle sample would take off, fly through the air, and land at a hospital as far as 25 kilometers away. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545903586bb3f786196ccb3e-960/am2_3531.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545903586bb3f786196ccb3e-1280-851/am2_3531.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>For Raptopoulos, it felt like a series of "pinch me" moments. Every time the team prepped a drone for a take-off, anywhere from 50 to 70 people would surround them. These were often people who live without running water or reliable electricity in their homes, and yet the drones seemed to make sense to them almost immediately. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"<span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-8831-7e77-e5f0-c8336a406fca">Most of these people have never seen one of these things, at least in the flesh," Raptopoulos says, "<span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-8831-ff1b-6ae2-f83881b304c9">But it's amazing, the amount of joy it generates. It basically breaks with all your assumptions." </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">That's one of the underlying principles that Matternet builds upon: that its drones be so dead-simple to operate, that someone without significant technological training could instinctively figure out how to send one on a flight. That someone who had even the most minimal knowledge of how to operate a smartphone could direct the drone to deliver medicine, food, or other supplies from one location to another. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54590358ecad0418168b4568-960/am1_0014.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54590358ecad0418168b4568-1200-800/am1_0014.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p dir="ltr">For that reason, Raptopoulos likes to describe Matternet's UAVs as the Apple products of the drone space. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"We want this company to be at the intersection of the best technology and excellence in design," he says. "We want to sell a vehicle to you that you can operate with an unprecedented ease of use."</p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545cd5b86bb3f7bc1e5e46f6-960/matternet.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545cd5b86bb3f7bc1e5e46f6-634-475/matternet.png" border="0" alt="Matternet" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Right now, drones - and delivery drones in particular - are a buzzy topic, but when Matternet first got started, people mainly thought of them in terms of the military or security. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Today, they're being <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dhl-using-drone-delivery-in-germany-2014-9" target="_blank">used to deliver medicine in Germany</a> and the Federal Aviation Administration recently approved them for use in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-more-us-drone-use-coming-but-no-package-delivery-yet-2014-9" target="_blank">shooting movie and TV scenes</a> in the US. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-887a-a48d-f67a-5f060cefff07"> "Things are changing fast in this space," Raptopoulos says. "A year ago, there was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-drones-2014-7" target="_blank">no Amazon drone announcement</a>. A month ago there was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-testing-delivery-drones-2013-12" target="_blank">no Google drone</a> coming out."</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Matternet's early start combined with its powerhouse-team has it poised to take the drone space by storm and become one of "the next billion-dollar businesses," according to Matternet investor<span> Ravi Belani, managing director of Alchemist, the startup accelerator Matternet graduated from.</span><br /></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">Raptopoulos' vision for Matternet first hit him when he was attending <a href="http://singularityu.org/" target="_blank">Singularity University</a>, a non-traditional, future-focused school that aims to empower its students to apply "exponential technologies to address humanity's grand challenges."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Working as part of a larger team, Raptopoulos got hung up on the fact that one-seventh of the Earth's population lacked access to all-seasons roads and that developing a traditional, reliable transportation infrastructure in those places would take crazy amounts of money and upwards of 50 years.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He took a map of Africa and overlaid an internet-like network onto it. If he could build machines that could carry cargo short distances, each trip would be small, but the scale could be incredible. He says he got chills:  </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Matternet" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545ce2916bb3f792445e46f6-960/matternetafrica.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545ce2916bb3f792445e46f6-800-400/matternetafrica.png" border="0" alt="Matternet Africa" /></a><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p dir="ltr">Raptopoulos says when he and co-founder Paola Santana, previously a lawyer in the Dominican Republic, first started pitching the idea around, he got a lot of polite but confused responses. A lot of people thought they was crazy, Raptopoulos says. But the founders of Singularity University - futurist Ray Kurzweil and entrepreneur Peter Diamandis - loved the idea. After graduating from the University, they accepted Matternet into<a href="http://singularityu.org/labs/" target="_blank"> SU Labs</a>, the school's innovation accelerator. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545d275eeab8eafc0723d9b4-765-573/matternet-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet"><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p><p class="caption">Paola Santana and Andreas Raptopoulos</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Since then, Raptopoulos and Santana have built a lean team of 10 people who specialize in skills ranging from rocket science and engineering to law and regulation. The company has raised $2 million to date from the likes of Andreessen Horowitz, Alchemist Accelerator, and even the rapper Nas, but is eyeing a more significant Series A round in the near future. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Matternet's plan is to create a full stack product, handling both the hardware and the software themselves, while simultaneously making sure to stay abreast of every new legal hurdle in the drone space.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Right now, the FAA bans the use of commercial drones, but it is supposed to release rules for small drones under 55 pounds later this year, in line with its complete plan for "safe integration" of commercial drones by September 2015. Meanwhile, a team at NASA led by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-drone-traffic-management-system-2014-9" target="_blank">Dr. Parimal Kopardekar is developing a drone traffic management program</a> of its own to advise the FAA.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Matternet is one of the many UAV-focused companies that has met with Kopardekar's NexGen technology team to discuss different ways to provide a structure to drone traffic.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The startup plans to announce its first product in the first quarter of 2015, and start shipping a few months later. The goal is to have concrete agreements wi<span>th the likes of Doctors Without Borders and <span>the </span><a href="http://qz.com/245961/a-revolutionary-drone-based-delivery-network-is-being-tested-in-bhutan/" target="_blank">World Health Organization, which it tested with in Bhutan</a>, by the time Matternet's UAVs get launched. <span>Raptopolous couldn't name a concrete price point, but guesses that the Matternet system will go for between $2,000 and $5,000. </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">By launching in areas like Papua New Guinea and Bhutan - where its drones are sometimes flying over swaths of jungle or sparsely populated desert and where there isn't a strict existing aerial infrastructure - Matternet has fewer barriers to entry.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"The risk needs to be low if the UAV falls," NASA's Kopardekar tells Business Insider, noting that low-density areas make the most sense for drone testing and operations. "You need to be able to demonstrate the risk is very low and the benefits are high: That's where you will see implementation happening."</span></p>
<p dir="ltr">Although Raptopoulos landed upon the idea for Matternet because of a motivation to provide a transportation solution to parts of the world that lack access to all-season roads, the company has its sights set beyond humanitarian causes. After all, Matternet isn't a service company; it's a product company.  </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-8b2b-9dbf-27c2-e004d50899b9">"We are pioneering this technology by helping partners find ways to put it in the field now, but our vision is that we should be putting this type of technology into everybody's hands," he says, "Whether their purpose is in Papua New Guinea or Rio or Istanbul or Mexico City or in Palo Alto, San Francisco, and LA."</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545cfbc06da8112625f5a001-1200-706/matternet-city-day.jpg" border="0" alt="matternet city day"><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p><p class="caption">Matternet concept art</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><br /></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">"Sometimes mission-driven entrepreneurs get so hung up on their mission that they're missing the commercial opportunity, which they probably don't emotionally care that much about," Pascal Finette, who heads SU Labs, explains. "I think this duality - the dance between these two worlds - is something social entrepreneurs sometimes get wrong. But Andreas is just perfect. He's phenomenal because he understands, 'Hey, if we get this at scale and we can do this in the US and we become a big company, we can use all this as a force of good to do even more in the world.'"</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Raptopoulos sees Walgreens using Matternet's drones to deliver prescriptions, or grocery stores using them to deliver milk. Because the startup is small, lean, and fast-moving, he thinks it has a leg up on giants like Google or Amazon. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I think Andreas is a beautiful, bi-focal CEO," says Belani from Alchemist. "He is a true visionary who is always motivated by fundamentally changing the world. But he's very practical in the near term what's required to get things done. He's not a head-in-the-</span>clouds type of visionary. He's incredibly practical with a strong street sense of business."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Finette agrees: Raptopoulos and Santana dream big, but know how to actually move steadily forward. He laughs recalling how nonchalantly the team will talk about passing amazing, major milestones.  </p>
<p dir="ltr">"They talk about it as if it's nothing," he says. That speaks to their capacity as entrepreneurs, he says, because they understand that every achievement is just a small stepping stone towards the big idea. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/545d038a69bedd4755c2663e-1134-851/matternet.jpg" border="0" alt="Matternet"><p class="source"><span>Matternet</span></p><p class="caption">A Matternet UAV flying in Papua New Guinea</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Right now, Matternet's drones weigh well under 5 kilograms, can carry cargo over 0.5 kilograms, and fly over 25 kilometers on a battery charge. Their geo-fenced routes take into consideration weather data and terrain. They are equipped with cameras to help them navigate onto landing pads at their destinations. The entire system gets controlled by a smartphone app. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Raptopoulos calls it the "Apple II" of the drone industry: the "most easy to use, desirable, and safest personal flying vehicle" out there. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Not that Matternet is the only company trying to achieve that. Besides giants like Amazon and Google, there are other delivery drone companies out there, like <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/bizzby-trials-peer-drone-delivery-service/34636/" target="_blank">Bizzby</a> and <a href="http://aria-logistics.com/" target="_blank">Aria</a>. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"<span id="docs-internal-guid-849d2368-8b5f-6f00-d8b1-56e41164cfa3">A drone delivery network will be the most disruptive thing to hit the delivery space," says Brody Buhler, partner at consulting firm Accenture, who focuses on postal issues. "I<span id="docs-internal-guid-849d2368-8b5f-ce09-b3a9-0e249589bcdc">f you don't have drones on your five-year roadmap, you're probably too far out."</span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">Talking to Raptopoulos, that future feels even closer. He gets almost electrically bright-eyed when he talks about the moments he's had on trials in the Himalayas or Papua New Guinea. But his passion really radiates off him when he talks about what's yet to come.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"<span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e48bdb-8b66-4458-ef6f-8474a19eb6a8">I'm going to keep on having these 'pinch me' moments," he says. "When we see our first big deployment in a city. When I'm able to see 20-30 crafts doing routine missions. When I'm able to actually see our drones in the sky and nobody will be paying attention, because they're just an establishment. And we can't wait."<br /></span></p>

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