Written by Adam Clark. Adam has spent the past 13 years exploring the world from above by using drones, satellites, and mapping tools to better understand our landscapes.
Event Overview
Freefly Fest took place in Washington on August 20th, offering an excellent opportunity to network, meet industry peers, and learn about the company’s latest developments.
Keynote: Scaling New Heights
Matt Isenbarger led the annual keynote, “Scaling New Heights: Freefly’s Year of Growth and Innovation,” spotlighting the company’s rapid expansion and major product announcements. With demand doubling over the past year, Freefly has grown from a 25,000 to a 70,000 sq. ft. facility, invested $10 million in inventory to strengthen supply chains, and brought foam and case manufacturing in-house—ensuring faster delivery and improved quality control.
Product Announcements
On the product front, Freefly announced a new firmware update for Alta X, delivering smoother flight performance, terrain-following, and integration with Auterion Mission Control, streamlining mission planning and execution. The Flying Sun 500 begins shipping this month, with the 1000 series to follow. Attendees saw impressive demos, including a tethered Alta X paired with a Flying Sun, showcasing stability, versatility, and ease of operation in real-world conditions.
Astro Ecosystem Upgrades
The Astro ecosystem received major upgrades, featuring enhanced props, lenses, isolators, and landing gear. The Alta X Gen 2 brings Astro’s architecture into Alta X, offering Smart Dovetail compatibility, LTE and Ethernet-wired bays, and smart batteries, providing operators with improved connectivity, flexibility, and operational efficiency.
📸 Freefly Astro with new lidar payload on display.
Strategic Partnerships and Lidar Innovation
Freefly also announced a 40% stake acquisition in Aerial Precision, unveiling a new lidar line for the Astro. This system features quick-release mounting, polygon-based planning, in-field processing, and real-time point cloud streaming, enabling faster, more precise data collection for mapping, surveying, and inspection workflows.
Event Takeaways
Attendees had the chance to see Freefly’s latest technology in action, ask questions directly to engineers, and explore innovative ways to integrate drones into their workflows. The event reinforced Freefly’s position at the forefront of professional drone technology and inspired excitement about what’s next for the company.
