According to a report by the Grand Forks Herald, North Dakota's Northern Plaing Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site has been given permission to fly at night.
"'The addition of night flying opens up the opportunities for industry partners to test sensor payloads in all lighting conditions,' said Robert Becklund, executive director of the test site.
"Sensors carried by unmanned aircraft can include video cameras, thermal cameras and other technologies that can be used collect data. In turn, those data can be used for a variety of purposes across a number of industries, from analyzing crop conditions to inspecting buildings to searching for missing persons.
"'(The UAS) industry is taking off before our eyes, and the fact that Grand Forks' test site is the first in the nation to perform research at night reinforces our state's position as a leader in this technology,' Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said in a statement Thursday.
"The test site, which is headquartered in Grand Forks, also received approval to conduct testing throughout the entire state at altitudes higher than 200 feet..."