NASA contracts Uber to build flying taxi air control software

Holden is set to reveal the company's latest air taxi plans at Web Summit, an annual internet conference taking place in Lisbon

Uber has struck a deal with NASA to develop software for managing "flying taxi" routes in the air along the lines of ride-hailing services it has pioneered on the ground, the company said on Wednesday.

And in this case, it’s working hard to stay on regulators' good side. Uber said it was the first formal services contract by the US National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) covering low-altitude airspace rather than outer space. NASA has used such contracts to develop rockets since the late 1950s.

Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden also said Uber would begin testing four-passenger, 200-miles-per-hour (322-km-per-hour) flying taxi