How many drones can we have flying at any time during the contest? Can we have multiple drones flying in the contest or are we limited to just one unit flying?

We understand that, in practice, emergency responders may fly multiple drones on a mission; however, for the challenge, we want to simplify the focus on developing innovative components of the UAS to meet the use case and its capabilities. Based on the UAS Required Specifications and Metrics outlined in the Official Rules, we believe the task of collecting and distributing the data will be challenging for one UAS given the design tradeoffs. Things break, so you can plan for backup components in Stage 3, as appropriate. For the Stage 1 research paper, you can discuss any UAS component or novel approach to ‘wirelessly data gathering’ in an outdoor environment, including risks of any such components to public safety, within your concept. You can submit what you believe solves ALL Stage 1 evaluation criteria in your Component research paper – we encourage you to read the Rules and supporting documentation on the website. With regards to flying multiple drones in Stages 2 and 3, this would not be compliant.