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Amazon’s Prime Air program is back in flight.
The e-commerce giant has resumed drone-based deliveries in Arizona and Texas after a two-month hiatus, spent upgrading the software for its MK30 drones.
According to Amazon, upon looking into flight data from operating the MK30, it found that the drone model’s altitude sensors could prove less effective in dusty environments, like Tolleson, Ariz., where it has a Prime Air center.
While Amazon noted it had not faced any safety issues because of the sensors, the data showed that, “in extremely rare cases, this could have caused the drone to receive an inaccurate reading about its altitude.”
That in mind, it paused its Prime Air program while it took action to enhance the sensors; the company did so voluntarily, without interference from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates drones.
Av Zammit, an Amazon spokesperson, said the decision is in line with the company’s strategy around drones and other emerging technology.
“We take a safety-first approach while delivering a fast and convenient experience—and our customers love it. Safety underscores everything we do at Prime Air, which is why we paused our operations to conduct a software update on the MK30 drone. The updates are now complete and were approved by the FAA, allowing us to resume deliveries,” he noted.
While the FAA has high standards for drones, the technology behind them is still much newer than that of airplanes and helicopters. That in mind, Amazon said it used other industries—like the airline industry and the autonomous vehicle industry—as inspirations for various safety tests it has run on the MK30 model.
Though it has already secured FAA approval for the MK30, Amazon plans to continuously test the drones to ensure they can be operated at maximum efficiency, safely and to meet consumer expectations.
“Testing is a game of one-upmanship, where each evolution in the design or use of a product requires a similar evolution in how it’s proven safe, and where we’re always asking ourselves ‘what other situation could we possibly encounter, and how do we get ahead of it?’” the company wrote in a blog Monday.
Thus far, it has worked to test for errors that could arise from the operator, the environment, other aircraft in the sky and even the drone itself.
Last spring, the company closed its Prime Air site in Lockeford, Calif., where the program initially began testing, and announced its latest launch in Tolleson, just outside of Phoenix. In addition to its U.S. Prime Air sites, the company announced early this year that it would begin applying for the necessary permits to fly drones out of a Darlington, England-based fulfillment center. It has previously said that it would expand into Italy, though concrete plans for the country have yet to be announced.
Zammit said the company continues to believe Prime Air is a valuable proposition for consumer convenience.
“We’re excited with Prime Air’s progress. Since resuming deliveries, we’ve seen unprecedented levels of demand for the service, and this positive response reinforces the value this service brings to our customers’ lives. As we continue adding new features, capabilities and expanding our product selection for Prime Air, we’re looking forward to what’s ahead and to introducing more customers to the convenience of drone delivery,” he said in an emailed statement.
