The high-flying Aquila - Facebook Connectivity Lab’s high-altitude, solar-powered, unmanned aircraft – has just taken to the skies for its first full-scale test flight.
And the task? To bring Internet connectivity to people in the remote regions of the world.
When complete, Aquila will be able to circle a region up to 60 miles in diameter for up to three months at a time, beaming connectivity down from an altitude of more than 60 000 feet using laser communications and millimetre wave systems.
The aircraft has the wingspan of an airliner, but at cruising speed it will consume 5 000 watts – the same amount of energy as a high-end microwave.
