According to the official version, in January of this year, Amazon stopped delivering goods by drones in the states of Texas and Arizona due to the need to update the software. Now that the update has been certified and approved by American regulators, the company can start delivering goods by drones again in these states.
Image source: Amazon
The reason for the two-month suspension of these services, according to CNBC, was not the drone incidents at Amazon’s test sites, but problems with the calibration of the altitude sensor, which was distorting the readings due to dust in the local air. The software required reconfiguration of the sensor, after the release of the software update, it was tested and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This allows the company to resume drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona.
Prime Air subscribers are eligible to use the express delivery service in these states. According to Amazon representatives, since the resumption of this delivery method, the service has seen unprecedentedly high demand. Last week, for example, one of the first customers to use the service received a drone that delivered medicine in 31 minutes and 30 seconds. The distance it had to cover by air was not specified.
Until April last year, Amazon carried out similar drone deliveries in California, but the operations there had to be curtailed. In 2023, the staff working on this program was cut in order to save money, which also hindered the development of such services. By the end of the decade, the company still expects to deliver 500 million packages annually using unmanned aerial vehicles. The new model of the MK30 logistics drone can fly in light rain and makes less noise than its predecessors. For residents of nearby houses, the proximity to Amazon’s logistics hub can be a source of concern, so in Texas it was decided to move it away from residential areas.