Ice Nine micro UAV reaches active deployment milestone at Sellafield
Published on Wednesday, 15th of July
Game Changers-backed technology successfully flies through a 150mm access port to inspect an active nuclear environment unseen for more than 50 years, avoiding alternatives estimated to cost £1M-£2M.
Ice Nine Ltd has achieved a major milestone in the development of its micro UAV technology, successfully deploying the system through a 150mm port into the Highly Active Liquor Evaporation and Storage (HALES) facility on the Sellafield site.
The active deployment, completed earlier this year, marks a first-of-its-kind flight through a 150mm access port into an active environment on a nuclear site. The tetherless drone was successfully deployed and retrieved on every flight, gathering vital visual information on the condition of a key asset that had not been seen for more than five decades.
The achievement represents the latest step in a development journey enabled by the Game Changers innovation programme, which has supported Ice Nine from initial feasibility work through successive proof-of-concept stages, inactive demonstrations and, ultimately, deployment in a live operational setting.
From Challenge to Active Deployment
The original challenge was initiated by Sellafield stakeholders in November 2022 to find a way of inspecting hazardous nuclear cells that are unsafe or impossible for people to access. The target environments are pitch-black, cluttered, GPS-denied and shielded behind thick concrete walls, with access limited to small ports.
Through Game Changers, the challenge was shared with a broad innovation community, opening the door to specialist technology companies able to adapt and accelerate solutions for nuclear decommissioning. Ice Nine responded by developing a bespoke micro UAV and deployment mechanism capable of entering confined spaces, operating beyond visual line of sight and returning safely for retrieval.
The technology began with feasibility work in January 2023, followed by proof-of-concept development from August 2023. Offsite inactive demonstrations in June 2024 and July 2025 showed steady improvements in stability, deployment, flight control and retrieval. A further onsite demonstration in the Box Encapsulation Plant in November 2025 helped build confidence ahead of the HALES active deployment in February 2026.
Images from previous inactive demonstration.
Technology Designed for the Hardest-to-Reach Spaces
Ice Nine’s system has been engineered specifically for confined and hazardous environments, using a compact deployment mechanism to insert the drone through 150mm ports in both vertical and horizontal orientations. Once inside, the tetherless UAV can manoeuvre freely in congested spaces where GPS is unavailable and direct visual operation is not possible.
With stable and controlled flight characteristics, onboard lighting and sufficient battery life for detailed inspection tasks, the micro UAV provides a new route to visual inspection, asset monitoring and pre-decommissioning surveys in environments where conventional access would be slow, costly or impractical.
The active HALES deployment demonstrated that the technology can now move beyond test-cell conditions and deliver useful intelligence from real operational environments. For Sellafield, this creates the potential to inspect legacy assets without exposing people to hazardous conditions or undertaking major intrusive works.
Game Changers as the Enabler
The progress from challenge statement to active deployment shows the role Game Changers can play in turning early-stage ideas into practical tools for nuclear decommissioning. The programme provided the structure, funding pathway and technical engagement needed to connect Sellafield’s operational challenge with innovators outside the traditional nuclear supply chain.
Amanda Smith, former UAV Equipment Engineer - Programme Lead at Sellafield Ltd, said: “UAVs have many applications and immense potential around the Sellafield site, but their deployment can sometimes require us to overcome challenging technical hurdles posed by restricted access and harsh environments. The Game Changers programme has allowed us to quickly disseminate some of these challenges to a broad range of solution providers that we were not previously aware of.”
She added: “Through Game Changers, we have been able to collaborate closely with these solution providers on innovative UAV technology. FIS360 has been instrumental in these collaborations, guiding solution providers to help them meet our technical and commercial requirements. Game Changers has allowed us to engage with companies that aren’t from the nuclear sector, enabling new technologies and ideas to be explored and developed.”
Gareth Woodburn, the new UAV lead at Sellafield Ltd, is now working with Ice Nine to progress the technology towards business-as-usual use across the site.
A Safer, Faster Alternative
The successful deployment also avoided the need for more disruptive alternatives. Rebecca Heyworth, Senior Technical Specialist, said: “This innovation avoided the alternative option of drilling new ports, which was estimated to cost £1M-£2M, would likely require multiple installations, and could take several years to implement. No other feasible inspection options were available.”
By enabling inspection through existing access points, the micro UAV reduces the need for intrusive modifications while providing asset condition information that can support safer planning and decision-making. It also demonstrates how targeted innovation funding can reduce uncertainty, accelerate deployment and create reusable capability for other complex environments across the nuclear sector.
Building Capability for Future Decommissioning
Ice Nine’s micro UAV has progressed from a challenge published in 2022 to a proven active deployment within just over 3 years. Each stage of the Game Changers process helped mature the technology, from feasibility and proof of concept to inactive demonstrations and operational readiness.
The deployment at HALES underlines the progress of the technology and the value of the Game Changers model: defining a real industrial challenge, attracting new ideas, supporting development with technical guidance, and enabling solutions to prove themselves in the environments where they are needed most. Since the successful active deployment, there has been significant demand to use the UAV technology for inspection in other areas. Ice Nine is now working towards UKCA marking in the next few months, supporting a move towards business-as-usual deployment across the NDA estate.
