Facebook has conducted its first full-scale test flight of Aquila, an unmanned solar-powered airplane that it plans to use to bring affordable internet to rural areas. When complete, Aquila will be able to circle a region up to 60 miles in diameter, beaming connectivity down from an altitude of more than 60,000 feet using laser communications and millimetre wave systems.
Aquila is designed to fly for up to three months at a time. The aircraft has the wingspan of an airliner, but at cruising speed it will consume only 5,000 watts — the same amount as three hair dryers, or a high-end microwave, Facebook said.
The company's Connectivity Lab tested a 1/5th-scale version of Aquila for several months, but this was the first flight of the full-scale aircraft. The test flight was designed to verify the operational models and overall aircraft design. To prove the full capacity of the design, Facebook said it will "push Aquila to the limits", in a series of tests in the coming months and years. "As encouraging as the first successful flight is, there is still plenty of work to be done," it said in a statement.
