Facebook Partners With Airbus to Test Solar Drones in Australia
Despite grounding its own Aquila drone, Facebook collaborates with Airbus to test solar-powered Zephyr drones for internet connectivity in Australia.
Facebook partners with aeronautics giant Airbus to test solar-powered drones in Australia, continuing its quest to provide global internet access. Documents obtained under Australia's Freedom of Information Act reveal that the two companies schedule test flights for late 2018. This collaboration comes after Facebook officially grounds its own ambitious Aquila drone project.
The tests utilize the Airbus Zephyr drone, a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) that closely mirrors Facebook's discontinued Aquila blueprint. The specific Model S drone features a 25-meter wingspan, operates at altitudes up to 20 kilometers, and uses solar power to fly for months at a time. Facebook provides a payload for these trials, which likely consists of millimeter-wave radio broadcasting equipment.
This drone initiative represents just one facet of Facebook's broader strategy to increase internet access in developing regions across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The company also relies on software and existing infrastructure through its Free Basics program, which reaches nearly 100 million people despite past net neutrality controversies. Facebook keeps specific details about the Australian drone tests tightly under wraps.