Facebook says it will begin test flights later this year of a solar-powered drone with the wingspan of a Boeing 737, the next stage of its campaign to deliver Internet service to remote parts of the world.
Engineers at the giant social network say they've built a drone with a 140-foot wingspan that weighs less than 1,000 pounds. It will use lasers to send Internet signals to stations on the ground.
I'm excited to announce we’ve completed construction of our first full scale aircraft, Aquila, as part of our...
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, July 30, 2015
The project is part of a broader effort by Facebook that also contemplates using satellites and other high-tech gear to deliver Internet connectivity to hundreds of millions of people living in regions too remote for conventional service.
Facebook rival Google is experimenting with high-altitude balloons and satellites in a program that has similar goals.
Source: The Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment