You may already feel like big brother is watching you after you put a little bit more information on Facebook than perhaps you should have. And, if a report from TechCrunch is true, Facebook may soon be watching you from above. The report claims that the social network giant plans to purchase Titan Aerospace, now led by former Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn.
Titan has developed two solar-powered, high-altitude satellite drones, the Solara 50 and Solara 60, capable of carrying up to 250 pounds of load. The drones are completely self-sufficient, flying in atmospheric orbit at 65,000 feet, powered by solar power generated by cells mounted on the wings, elevator and horizontal stabilizer. The power generated during the day is stored in lithium ion batteries within the wings and Titan claims they can remain in orbit for as long as five years.
According to the report, Facebook’s initial intent would be to use the Solara 60 to provide Internet access to parts of the world that are currently not serviceable, such as some regions of Africa. The potential applications for these solar powered drones are nearly limitless, including tracking objects on the ground and in space, atmospheric monitoring, search and rescue, disaster response, GPS services and many more.
Titan claims the drones are less expensive to operate and much quicker to deploy than the satellite systems that are currently used to provide similar services.
Get exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter.
We welcome your comments on flyingmag.com. In order to maintain a respectful environment, we ask that all comments be on-topic, respectful and spam-free. All comments made here are public and may be republished by Flying.
