Facebook started teasing its internet-beaming planes last year, but now we’re seeing one that it actually built. Pictured above is Aquila, a solar-powered, 140-foot unmanned plane that’s designed to deliver internet connectivity from altitudes of 60,000 to 90,000 feet. The UAV, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 737 and weighs roughly 880 pounds, will be able to circle a specific area for up to 90 days when deployed — a feat possible thanks to its dependence on nothing but solar energy. What’s also interesting is how it gets up in the air; Facebook says it uses a balloon to carry Aquila to the aforementioned altitude range, although it’s still unclear how the Federal Aviation Authority plans to control this type of traffic.
Aquila is only part of Facebook’s current strategy to “connect the world,” and its idea is to have a full fleet roaming the skies in the future. Then there’s Internet.org, a project led by the social network that brings free, basic web access to underdeveloped countries — which has faced detractors along the way. Regardless, Facebook is expected to test Aquila in the US later this year, but it is unclear as to when exactly that will be. “We still have a long way to go in this work, but we are excited by our early progress,” Facebook said in a blog post. “We plan to engage with the broader community and share what we’ve learned, so we can all move faster in the development of these technologies.”
Filed under: Robots, Transportation, Science, Internet
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Source: Facebook