Uber in deal with NASA to build flying taxi air control software

LISBON (Reuters) - Uber has struck a deal with NASA to develop software for managing “flying taxi” routes in the air along the lines of ride-hailing services it has pioneered on the ground, the company said on Wednesday.

A man exits the Uber offices in Queens, New York, U.S., February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Uber said it is the first formal services contract by the U.S. National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) covering low-altitude airspace rather than outer space. NASA has used such contract to develop rockets since the late 1950s.

Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden also said Uber would begin testing four-passenger, 200-mile-per hour flying taxi services across Los Angeles in 2020, its second test market after Dallas/Fort Worth.

Holden is set to reveal the company’s latest air taxi plans at Web Summit, an annual internet conference taking place in Lisbon this week.

Reporting by Eric Auchard; Editing by Maria Sheahan

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