Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook's solar-powered data-beaming drone set to take off

The unmanned 'Aquila', with a wingspan of a Boeing 737, weighs less than a car

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the social-networking site Facebook, on Friday announced the completion of its first full-scale drone, the ‘Aquila’. A solar-powered unmanned plane to beam down internet connectivity from the sky, the Aquila has the wingspan of a Boeing 737 and can stay in the air for months at a time, according to Zuckerberg’s Facebook post.
 
As part of the internet.org initiative, Aquila’s primary aim is to reach the areas that lack basic infrastructure for internet connectivity. This “breakthrough” development promises to ensure internet connectivity in parts, primarily rural ones, which could not have imagined such a possibility anytime soon.
 
Facebook will not provide this service directly to customers; it will get in touch with local internet service providers.
 
The solar vehicle claims to be lighter than a car, despite having a wingspan longer than a commercial aircraft’s. It will use radio and laser communication technology to provide connectivity in the remotest of regions.
 
Google’s Project Loon, which aims to provide wireless internet to rural communities using high-altitude helium balloons, though, could be seen as a competition to Aquila.
 
Yael Maguir, director of engineering, Facebook, says their mission is to make the world “more open and connected”. Aquila will now be undergoing tests for a few months, to prove its functionality. A video along with Zuckerberg’s Facebook post showing the construction of the drone has already received 2.6 million hits.
 
Watch the video here

 

I'm excited to announce we’ve completed construction of our first full scale aircraft, Aquila, as part of our Internet.org effort. Aquila is a solar powered unmanned plane that beams down internet connectivity from the sky. It has the wingspan of a Boeing 737, but weighs less than a car and can stay in the air for months at a time. We've also made a breakthrough in laser communications technology. We've successfully tested a new laser that can transmit data at 10 gigabits per second. That's ten times faster than any previous system, and it can accurately connect with a point the size of a dime from more than 10 miles away.This effort is important because 10% of the world’s population lives in areas without existing internet infrastructure. To affordably connect everyone, we need to build completely new technologies. Using aircraft to connect communities using lasers might seem like science fiction. But science fiction is often just science before its time. Over the coming months, we will test these systems in the real world and continue refining them so we can turn their promise into reality. Here’s a video showing the building of Aquila.

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, 30 July 2015