MissionGo

Maryland-based MissionGo provides pilot-controlled Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) solutions for inspections and delivery—with a focus on human organ transportation—as well as training and guidance for UAS startups.

As of August 2021, the company was in the process of obtaining the FAA’s Type Certification approval of the aircraft design and components for its drone “MG Velos 100,” and in April 2021, it received approval for airworthiness criteria that meet the approved type design and is safe for operations, which comes as a part of the process.

Key customers and partnerships

The company has successfully completed several test runs:

1. a test delivery of a kidney in partnership with the University of Maryland in April 2019, covering 2.6 miles in 10 minutes, which it claimed was the first human organ delivery by drone

2. a test flight transporting human tissues for research and another transporting a kidney in partnership with the Nevada Donor Network, an organ procurement organization (OPO), in September 2020, covering 10.3 miles in 25 minutes, believed to be the longest-ever organ delivery by drone at the time

3. a test delivery of a human pancreas (claiming to be the world’s first) by drone in May 2021, in collaboration with LifeSource, a Minnesota-based OPO, and Mercy Hospital, part of the Allina Health system, covering a 10-mile radius

4. an August 2021 test run that transported blood over a 5.3-mile distance in collaboration with the Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland, the state’s OPO

5. a February 2022 demonstration of medical and essential items deliveries in Navajo Nation, Arizona in partnership with authorities and mobile healthcare company ZappCare

6. a 10-day cargo-delivery operation in Michigan in partnership with Airspace Link in June 2022.

The company also has product partnerships with 1) Airspace Link to introduce processes for flight planning (September 2021); 2) AlarisPro to provide fleet management and maintenance tracking services; and 3) Velos Rotors, its component supplier. MissionGo also operates in tandem with its sister company MediGo to facilitate monitoring of flight and organ status via GPS.

Key competitors: None comparable (MissionGo is the only US-based startup in the Last-mile Delivery Automation hub that offers drone-based solutions for human organ deliveries)