After a break of over two months: Amazon resumes drone delivery service
Amazon's temporarily suspended drone delivery service is back in operation. A software update is said to have fixed problems with the altitude sensor.
An MK30 delivery drone drops a package during tests.
(Image: Amazon)
The drone deliveries at the College Station and Tolleson locations in the US states of Texas and Arizona, which Amazon itself stopped in January 2025, have ended. Amazon has resumed drone deliveries there, CNBC reported on Monday. Problems with the drones' altitude sensor have been fixed with an update.
The software update had become necessary because there had been several incidents with Amazon's delivery drones. Drones had crashed during various tests of the new MK30 drones, which had replaced the predecessor MK27-2. However, these were tests at the drones' limits.
The assumption after one of the crashes was that rain could have negatively affected the flight characteristics of the drones. Amazon then took the precaution of suspending the drone delivery service indefinitely to find the error and release an update. This was done on a voluntary basis, as Amazon emphasized in January 2025. However, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is responsible for approving the drone delivery service, did not prohibit its continued operation.
Altitude sensor provided incorrect values
According to current findings, the faulty flight behavior was due to the drone's altitude sensor. Dust and presumably drizzle could have caused the altitude sensor to incorrectly detect the drone's exact distance to the ground. Amazon reassures that there was “never an actual safety issue”, CNBC quotes an Amazon spokesperson. The problems are now said to have been fixed with a software update. At the same time, the FAA has approved the update for the MK30 drones. This release is necessary even if flight operations have been voluntarily suspended.
Videos by heise
Since the resumption of the service, the demand for deliveries by drone has risen sharply, said a senior employee of Amazon's drone delivery service. However, he did not give any specific figures.
The Prime Air drone delivery service has been meeting with resistance from local residents for some time, at least at the College Station site. They complain about the loud overflights of their private properties by the drones and the potential impact on wildlife. Those affected have joined forces to put up resistance. They are hoping that Amazon will abandon the site because a lease for the Amazon properties is due to expire in September 2025.
(olb)
