Drone could connect all
24 July 2016 - 02:00
Facebook's drone designed to beam internet to places not yet connected has completed its first test flight.
The prototype of the Aquila drone landed safely after a 90-minute flight over Arizona in what the social network described as a "big milestone" in its plan to connect the world.Aquila is a solar-powered, unmanned plane designed to circle an area about 32km in diameter, reaching fourbillion people with no internet access.The drone beams an internet signal down from an altitude of 60,000ft using lasers and millimetre wave systems."Aquila is designed to be hyper-efficient, so it can fly for up to three months at a time," said Jay Parikh, Facebook's head of engineering and infrastructure."The aircraft has the wingspan of an airliner, but at cruising speed it consumes only 5,000W - the same amount as three hairdryers."The project is ambitious, and required "significant advancements in science and engineering", said Parikh. ..
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