sUAS Command-and-Redundant-Control Communications System with ROS 2 Data Bridge for Aerial Remote Sensing Rapid Development

Small, uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) have become popular for scientific data collection due to their unique useful qualities. For custom or research payload development, it is time consuming and error prone to implement new software and systems, and difficult to deploy in flight reliably. Using Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) can assist in this process; however, safe, long-range communication with ROS 2 over typical drone radios for command and control is not usually possible. In this paper, a dual 2.4 GHz and 900 MHz command-and-redundant-control system, based on off-the shelf parts and designed for safety and resilience, is presented. This radio link is suitable for the command and control of an sUAS that uses ROS 2 for scientific data collection and processing, while maintaining mission safety and redundancy. A software architecture to enable such a radio link to perform these tasks is described, including a MAVLink-based data tunnel capable of transmitting arbitrary data and files.