Due to the potential operational, environmental and safety hazards posed to Antarctic activities by the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the use of any UAV, drone, or remotely piloted aircraft in Antarctica by U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) personnel is prohibited without specific authorization from the National Science Foundation (NSF) . This prohibition includes the operation of commercially available or custom designed „quad copters”, remote controlled camera systems, and any other unmanned airborne systems.
The point of contact for approved use requests is:
Mr. Mike Scheuermann
Aviation Program Manager
Division of Polar Programs
mscheuer@nsf.gov
Phone: 703.292.7453
A formal policy will be developed in the near future which will outline the process for acceptable use of UAVs for research and/or operational purposes.
Source: Press Release