ITA completes 1,000-km drone test in Alaska

The International Testing Agency (ITA) has finished a 1,000-km drone test flight in Alaska aimed at checking whether anti-doping blood samples can endure long-distance transport without affecting results. The trial examined whether drones could become an additional logistics option when distance, terrain, or tight timelines make conventional delivery harder. Researchers split anonymised blood samples from healthy volunteers into two groups: one sent on the drone and the other kept as a control. Sensors tracked temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, vibration, and acceleration. ITA says the data will show whether drone transport affects biomarkers used in analysis. The autonomous heavy-lift aircraft, built by Windracers, flew from Nenana Municipal Airport on Aug. 19 with support from ACUASI.