Giving drones a lift

More and more, we’re seeing what drones can do as they survey landscapes, fight wars, and take a crack at delivering packages. But for all their promise, drones are limited by range and battery life: Most can stay aloft for no more than an hour.

Mark Haberbusch ’90, MS ’93, is aiming to change that equation. The aerospace engineer is developing a power system that uses clean-burning hydrogen and fuel cells to keep drones aloft for hours. Defense contractors are keenly interested.

Haberbusch’s company, NEOEx Systems, recently attracted a $6.4 million contract to pursue hydrogen-powered drones for the U.S. Army. Suddenly, his tiny startup looks ready to soar.

“Seven years toiling in a Lorain County Airport hangar has paid off for small business owner Mark Haberbusch,” Ideastream, Cleveland’s public radio station, reported in December.

Haberbusch’s power system may allow drones to fly up to 20 hours and 1,000 miles, Ideastream reported. He also built a mobile lab that produces liquid hydrogen on location.

“What we’ve developed and patented is the process of making liquid hydrogen in small quantities locally and putting it directly into the aircraft,’’ Haberbusch told the radio station.

He’s aiming for a 90-mile test flight this summer between Lorain County Airport in Elyria — where NEOEx is headquartered — and Youngstown- Warren Regional Airport. But he’s come a long way already.

Haberbusch earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fluid and thermal engineering science at Case, where he became interested in liquid hydrogen. It’s been used for years to launch space rockets, but generating and storing the fuel is costly and challenging.

After honing his skills in liquid hydrogen systems at NASA and in industry, Haberbusch launched NEOEx in 2015 to pursue hydrogen-powered drones. Meanwhile, he served as program manager of the Great Lakes Energy Institute at the Case School of Engineering, preparing students to become innovators in the energy industry.

Today, supporters of NEOEx include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — which eyes longdistance drones for more accurate weather forecasts — and the U.S. Air Force, which is funding this summer’s test flight.

Many eyes will be watching.