Africa, you will have Facebook

Africa, you will have Facebook TechCrunch recently reported that Facebook is in talks to acquire Titan Aerospace, a drone-production company that has just started taking orders for its Solara 50. The drone is designed to fly at 65,000 feet, remaining above terrestrial weather. A typical launch sequence is initiated just after midnight, and the aircraft climbs under its own battery power. The Solara reaches altitude as the sun crests over the horizon and enters its standard day-night cycle. When the sun sets, the Solara shifts its propulsion, payload and systems to its battery banks. A battery-management system ensures voltage is main- tained in the subzero atmosphere. It is designed to stay aloft for five years with a range or 2.5 million miles. The Solara 5O Electronics: The Solara 50 houses a sophisticated autopilot that can fly, take off and land the plane autonomously. In addition to a variety of onboard Solar panels: 3,000 solar cells cover the upper wing surface, the elevator and the horizontal stabi- sensors, there are high-speed radio links that transmit telemetry data back to the ground station. lizer. Combined, they can generate up to 7 kilowatts of power. Extra energy generated during the day is stored in lithium-ion batteries inside the wing. Payload: The payload bay can loiter in orbit with over 70 pounds and deliver over 250 pounds of equipment to atmospheric orbit. Scale of the drones Solara's network footprint Coverage: As a communications relay, the Solara offers about an 18-mile radius – enough to cover D.C. and much of Prince George's County. A series of Solara craft could potentially create a continuous communication network and provide long-term services. Or could be used as part of a disaster relief effort. AIRBUS A380 SOLARA 50 MARYLAND VIRGINIA Empty weight 350 pounds Cruise speed 56 knots Span 164 feet Endurance 5 years DISTRICT Length 54 feet Range 2.5 million miles FAIRFAX COUNTY PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY SOLARA 50 PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY CALVERT COUNTY AIRBUS A380 CHARLES COUNTY Covering It would take 11,000 drones all flying in harmony to cover Africa, according to TechCrunch. Africa Mark Zuckerberg's plan Facebook is in negotiations to buy a drone manufacturer with the aim of using its high-altitude autonomous aircraft to beam internet connections to isolated communities in Africa, according to a reports by TechCrunch. "From our understanding, Facebook is interested in using these high-flying drones to blanket parts of the world without Internet access, beginning with Africa. The company would start by building 11,000 of these unmanned aerial vehicles," TechCrunch said. This could also be seen as Facebook's answer to Google's "Project Loon," which is working to solve the problem of connecting people in rural and undevel- oped areas to the Internet by deploying a fleet of helium balloons that can beam WiFi signals back to the Earth's surface. Announced last year as one of Google's "moonshot" projects, the balloons also carry solar panels, but they rely on wind patterns to direct where their bubbles of connectivity – 24 miles in radius – float. Source: TechCrunch, Titan Aerospace and Washington Post HAYLEY TSUKAYAMA AND RICHARD JOHNSON / THE WASHINGTON POST