LAANC Supplemental Data Service Provider (SDSP)

A LAANC SDSP is a third-party entity with no contractual relationship with the FAA. As an SDSP entity you will obtain LAANC authorization through an FAA approved UAS Service Supplier's (USS)(Airspace Link) API endpoints.

LAANC SDSP with Airspace Link

Airspace Link makes it easy to become an FAA approved LAANC SDSP. We provide a graduated process that allows you start getting authorized quickly, then progress through full implementation of our API endpoints.

Contact us to discuss further.

LAANC Lite [Step 1]

With LAANC Lite you call an API endpoint to create an ephemeral (unclaimed) operation. You can then use the link provided in the response to log in to AirHub Portal to obtain authorization.

Prerequisites

• Machine to machine credentials from Airspace Link, Inc.
• User account(s)in AirHub Portal

Authorization

We will provide you with Machine to Machine credentials and scope(s). You will call our Get Oauth Token endpoint to receive a bearer token. That token will need to be added to each API request in the Authorization header in the form of Bearer {token}.

When claiming the operation in AirHub Portal each user will need to create a user account.

Typical Process (a.k.a. Happy Path)

1. Call Create Ephemeral Operations
   :::note[Note]
   This endpoint includes an optional property called callbackUrl. Airspace Link will dispatch a call to the url when changes occur to the status of any authorization associated with the operation. In order to distinguish between different operations, your callbackUrl may include a unique ID which represents your system's internal identifier. Common patterns may include https://myapp.com/aslCallback/{ID} or https://myapp.com/aslCallback?id={ID}. The url may be structured in any way meaningful to your organization.

   Sample callback response (only if authorized):

   { 
       authId: string,
       authStatus: string,
       authStatusDate: string, 
       startTime: string,
       duration: number,
       altitude: number,
       atc: string
   }
   

   For a list of allowed values for authStatus see the status property definition in the response for Get Authorization
   :::

2. A temporary operation is created.

3. The response contains a claim URL in the form of https://portal.airspacelink.com/plan/operations/{id}/claim

4. This URL may be used to access the operation within the AirHub Portal application.

   1. User will be prompted to log in. Sign up if needed:
      
   2. Once logged in, the operation will load and the user will have the opportunity to review / fill in the contact information for the pilot in command.
      
   3. After confirming you will see the operation overview:
      
   4. The Airspace Compliance section contains informative and actionable items. You will see a "Submit Request" button for areas eligible for automatic authorization by FAA LAANC.
      
   5. Clicking "Submit Request" will submit the authorization to the FAA and approve in seconds. You will also receive an approval email.
      
   6. You are now approved to fly!

LAANC SDSP [Step 2]

LAANC SDSP is fully defined in section 4 of the FAA LAANC USS Performance Rules.

Airspace Link's implementation of LAANC is built for flexibility with other approval providers. We have the concept of an "ASL Operation". This serves as the parent object to any of our available approval providers. You will see in the process steps below 2 distinct operation types: ASL operation and LAANC operation.

Prerequisites

• Supply Airspace Link, Inc. with your application callback URL and logout URL.
• FAA approval process, defined in section 4.2 of the FAA LAANC USS Performance Rules.
• Must have and maintain a Data Protection Plan (DPP).
• Subject to anual audits by Airspace Link, Inc. (the USS).
• Must display the message defined in section 4.4b of the FAA LAANC USS Performance Rules to end users.

Authorization

In order to implement our full suite of API endpoints for LAANC we require user authentication. You can no longer use a M2M token. Airspace Link, Inc. will establish a new set of credentials. You will need to establish an authorization code flow with PKCE to have your users authenticate with our IdP Auth0.

Optionally, we can set up an enterprise connection between our IdPs for single sign-on. Contact us for more details.

Typical Process (a.k.a. Happy Path)

:::note[Note]
There are varying scenarios when working with LAANC. These process steps are only intended to illustrate the typical happy path steps.
:::

1. Create an ASL operation with Create Operation
2. Create a LAANC operation with Create Operation
   1. The response will include a list of candidate authorizations along with a list of notices.
   2. Candidates that are elegible for auto-approval will have SUBMISSION_TYPE_AUTO_AUTHORIZATION for the submissionType property.
      :::info[]

      Possible Submission Type (default in bold)	Description
      SUBMISSION_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED	Submission type could not be determined
      SUBMISSION_TYPE_AUTO_AUTHORIZATION	Candidate can be submitted for auto-authorization
      SUBMISSION_TYPE_FURTHER_COORDINATION	Candidate requires further coordination with the ATC
      :::

3. Call Submit Authorization to submit an authorization for auto-approval from the FAA.
4. Approval email is sent to pilot in command.

Learn More

Please contact us to learn more about obtaining LAANC approvals within your own application(s).