  Drones provide a versatile platform for remote sensing and atmospheric
studies. However, strict payload mass limits and intense vibrations have proven
obstacles to adoption for astronomy. We present a concept for system-level
testing of a long-baseline CubeSat space interferometer using drones, taking
advantage of their cm-level xyz station-keeping, 6-dof freedom of movement,
large operational environment, access to guide stars for end-to-end testing of
optical train and control algorithms, and comparable mass and power
requirements. We have purchased two different drone platforms (Aurelia X6 Pro,
Freefly Alta X) and present characterization studies of vibrations, flight
stability, gps positioning precision, and more. We also describe our progress
in sub-system development, including inter-drone laser metrology, realtime
gimbal control, and LED beacon tracking. Lastly, we explore whether
custom-built drone-borne telescopes could be used for interferometry of bright
objects over km-level baselines using vibration-isolation platforms and a small
fast delay for fringe-tracking.
