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First Approved Commercial Operator in Australia
In a significant development for commercial drone operations in Australia, RocketDNA has become the first company to be assessed and approved for CASA's new Broad Area Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Self-Assessment Trial, providing a pathway for faster deployment of it's autonomous xBot systems across the country.
To date, CASA has required that each and every BVLOS operational area to be assessed individually through a highly detailed and complex risk assessment process, with average processing periods between 3 to 6 months. This new CASA approval will significantly streamline operations, as it effectively grants RocketDNA the ability to self-assess the operational and safety risks, allowing new deployments to be up and flying within days.
This approval also enables Enterprises customers, who operate across geographically diverse sites (particularly in mining, public safety and industrial sectors) the ability to readily deploy and trial the technology, particularly when an event or on-site issue needs to be addressed quickly.
3 Years of BVLOS ROC Operations
RocketDNA has been operating BVLOS missions from our Remote Operations Centre (ROC) since 2022 - longer than any other commercial operator in Australia. This experience has allowed us to:
- Develop robust safety management systems
- Refine operational procedures through thousands of flights
- Build deep expertise in risk assessment and mitigation
- Establish proven track records with the regulator
Mining and Industrial Specialisation
Our focus on mining and industrial applications means we understand the unique challenges of enterprise drone operations:
- Complex environments: Operating safely around active industrial sites and infrastructure
- Regulatory compliance: Navigating overlapping safety frameworks (aviation, mining, workplace safety)
- Integration challenges: Working seamlessly with existing site operations and security protocols
- Reliability requirements: Meeting the uptime and performance standards enterprise customers demand
Fully Managed Drone-in-a-Box Solution
At RocketDNA, our xBot solution is end-to-end, we handle everything from:
- Deployment and installation at your site
- Remote operations from our certified Operations Centre (based in Perth & Adelaide), enabling 7-day operations
- Maintenance and compliance for all equipment
- Data processing and delivery in your preferred formats
- Regulatory management including this new self-assessment framework
What This Means for our Customers
This new approval offers significant practical benefits for our clients and potential customers interested in trialling this technology:
1. Scale at Business Speed, Not Regulatory Speed - Expanding from one site to multiple locations? What previously required months of sequential approvals for each new site can now happen in parallel, with new locations operational within days. This means your drone-in-a-box program can grow as quickly as your business needs demand.
2. Respond to Opportunities as They Arise - When a new project starts, a site expansion is approved, or an urgent inspection is needed at a different location, you're no longer locked into lengthy approval waiting periods. Your drone capability can move with your operational priorities, not lag weeks behind them.
3. Test and Optimise Across Multiple Sites - With the ability to quickly deploy to new locations, you can now run comparative trials across different sites to understand where drone technology delivers the most value in your specific operations. Test stockpile surveys at Site A while running conveyor inspections at Site B, then scale what works best—all within the same operational timeframe that previously would have covered just one location. This means faster learning and more confident investment decisions.
4. Safety Without Compromise - This isn't about cutting corners - it's about efficient compliance. CASA has trusted RocketDNA to uphold the same rigorous safety standards that protected your operations before, now with the added benefit of operational flexibility. You get faster deployment without increased risk.
5. Stay Ahead of the Curve - As one of the first operators approved under this framework, our customers gain access to capabilities that may not be widely available to others for months or years. In industries where efficiency and innovation drive competitive advantage, being early often matters.
Taking the Next Step
For enterprises that have been considering drone-in-a-box technology but hesitant about the commitment or complexity, the combination of this new regulatory framework and proven operational experience creates an unusually practical window for exploration. The traditional barriers: lengthy approval times, uncertain timelines, and significant upfront commitments are now substantially reduced.
RocketDNA offers 3-month trial programs specifically designed for organisations who want to validate the technology within their specific operational context before making longer-term decisions. These trials provide a low-risk way to understand the practical benefits, workflow integration, and ROI potential for your particular use case, all while operating under the safety framework and best practices developed over nearly three years of continuous BVLOS operations.
Whether drone technology ultimately becomes a core capability or remains a specialised tool for specific applications, a structured trial period provides the data and experience to make that decision confidently.
Contact us to find out how RocketDNA can help you get started with Enterprise Drone-in-a-Box Operations on your site today.
