EPA World Cup Safety Preparations to Include Low-Altitude ASPECT Flights

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is going to conduct low-altitude ASPECT flights over Dallas to support activities associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches events in the area.

The City of Dallas posted details of the operation in a Tuesday press release. According to the release, the EPA will collect data on typical radiological readings.

The data will be collected using the agency's Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) aircraft, which will fly at low altitudes over Dallas Stadium, the Fair Park/Cotton Bowl area, and greater downtown Dallas.

The EPA is closely coordinating with the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, the City of Arlington, the City of Dallas, FBI Dallas Field Office, DFW TRACON, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to protect public safety.

ASPECT is the EPA's airborne real-time chemical, radiation, and photographic data collection platform. It can detect and identify toxic industrial chemicals, chemical warfare agents, surface oil and radiation sources, and produce thermal and photographic images.

The technology's sensing equipment is installed in a Cessna 208B aircraft, which can be deployed within an hour of notification, 24 hours a day. ASPECT is stationed near Dallas, which allows it to respond rapidly to incidents in industrial areas along the Gulf Coast and begin data collection at any location in the contiguous U.S. within nine hours.

Communications between the plane and the team on the ground are near real-time, and the tech will produce preliminary data products in-flight. The program is available to assist local, national, and international agencies with hazardous substance and radiological incident responses.