Facebook Successfully Conducts Test Flight Of Its Solar-Powered Internet Drone 'Aquilas,' Mark Zuckerberg Confirms [VIDEO]
ByFacebook has recently conducted a successful test flight of its solar-powered Internet drone, "Aquilas," on Thursday.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive at Facebook, had confirmed the successful test flight, which was flown above Yuma, Arizona, Reuters reported.
"Aquilas" is the latest project of Facebook, which aims to bring Internet access to remote places on Earth. Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., has been reported to help fund the project.
Zuckerberg unveiled Facebook's plan for the solar-powered drone in a blog post on his account. The chief executive aims to build an entire fleet of "Aquilas" that would be able to fly for at least three months straight before coming down for maintenance.
Engineers and researchers at Facebook are developing the technology that makes the Internet drone withstand the harsh conditions in the atmosphere, as they aim to have a maintaining altitude at 60,000 feet.
Zuckerberg had detailed that their plan is to work a system for the drones to communicate to one another to optimize a large area to deliver Internet access across the globe, according to The Verge.
The project was developed by a group of researchers and engineers, some of which are from the far corners of Southern California to members residing in the United Kingdom. The core members are formed a relatively small group of about two dozen-strong.
The test flight mission for the solar-powered drone was to take off safely, stabilize itself at the targeted altitude, and then staying there before touching down. The successful test flight delighted Zuckerberg and of course, the core group of developers, PC Mag reported.
Zuckerberg expresses his delight and stated that he considers it an important milestone for the company, which brings the company closer to its goal of "connecting the world."
The developers at the company had published a detailed technical specifications of Aquila on Facebook's Developers website.