Autonomous cargo delivery system

A method of delivering a payload to a waypoint using an autonomous aerial vehicle equipped with a flight control system having a processor coupled to a sensor package, the method comprising:

• receiving, at the flight control system, a designated touchdown zone within a landing zone at the waypoint;
• determining, via the processor, a flight route to the waypoint;
• generating, via the processor, flight control signal data based at least in part on the flight route and data received from the sensor package, wherein the sensor package is coupled to the autonomous aerial vehicle and configured to sense obstacles along the flight route;
• autonomously navigating the aerial vehicle with the payload to the waypoint via the flight control system based at least in part on the flight control signal data;
• perceiving physical characteristics of the landing zone at the waypoint using the sensor package;
• and
• determining whether to touchdown at the designated touchdown zone based at least in part on physical characteristics of the designated touchdown zone perceived via said sensor package.

An autonomous aerial system comprising:

• an vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle to navigate to a top of descent point;
• and
• an onboard supervisory control system operatively coupled with the VTOL aerial vehicle, the onboard supervisory control system having a processor operatively coupled with a non-volatile memory device, wherein the onboard supervisory control system is configured to:
• scan, via the sensor package, a first touchdown zone from the top of descent point to perceive physical characteristics of the first touchdown zone;
• identify, via the processor, an obstacle at the first touchdown zone based at least in part on the perceived physical characteristics;
• determine, via the processor, a path from the top of descent point to the first touchdown zone to avoid any identified obstacles;
• and
• generate, via the processor, flight control signal data to cause the VTOL aerial vehicle to land at the first touchdown zone.