Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been eager to start his famous Internet.org free internet service across areas with no internet connectivity like remote villages in India and Africa. But, the project has been hampered by the slow development of the Aquila drone that can supposedly stay in the air for 3-6 months in a single flight and operate in all weather conditions. Now, news from Zuckerberg himself suggests that the drone is ready to be flown. Good news if you are in one of those million Indian villages, huh?
The prototype drone has been completed and it uses power from solar panels on its wings to drive propellers and is able communicate through a high powered Laser. The total length of the long, yet incredibly light aircraft is 139 feet but most of it is just wings and solar panels on top of them. The main pod of the plane containing all the avionics and the internet dispensation services is just 10.8 feet wide. In many ways, it is based on the design of the Solar Impulse project and its flight across the world.
Here is the video of the drone during it’s prototyping: