ATLANTA — Georgia Tech is celebrating the opening of a new space dedicated to researching the future of autonomous flight.

The 10,000 foot aircraft prototyping laboratory will provide students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the burgeoning autonomous flight industry.

Dr. Mitchell Walker says Georgia Tech wants to play a role in the future of flying vehicles and their new $5M laboratory will help them do that by allowing students the chance to gain hands-on experience and figure out ways to make the new technology better.

“There is still a lot that is unknown in places of research for these vehicles. Things that are interesting to us, like, what are the right places to place a propeller, how do you make them quieter, how do you make them safer, what’s the right material to make them out of,” Walker wonders.

He hopes that the new lab will ensure that the state and university remain leaders in aerospace innovation.

“This facility demonstrates Georgia Tech’s long-term commitment to pioneering the technologies that will shape the future of aviation,” said Ángel Cabrera, president of Georgia Tech. “Aerospace products are Georgia’s No. 1 export, and the Institute’s top-ranked Guggenheim School produces some of the nation’s top aerospace engineering talent. With this advanced laboratory, we’re making strategic investments that will grow our state’s and our Institute’s national leadership in aerospace innovation and advanced manufacturing.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the lab is September 25.