VIDEO. The Aquila drone Facebook has just completed its first flight – Juicer

Mark Zuckerberg wants to use the drone to connect people in remote areas that do not have network.

As you may already know, Facebook (and in particular its CEO Mark Zuckerberg) is prefixed to connect to the internet people who have not yet access. the best known (and most controversial) project is Free Basics, a program that allows people in countries such as Madagascar and Zambia to access some sites web (tiny versions) without paying data charges. to make this possible, Facebook is working with operators that allow Basics free to use their networks.

to places where it does there is no network, Facebook also develops solar UAV long endurance

“Today, 1.6 billion people live in areas that do not have access to the network speaker flow “, we read in a note from the social network. and to connect these people, Facebook wants to use drones that run on solar energy and will act as satellites, transmitting data via ground lasers.

The model that Facebook is developing is called Aquila. And in the long term, the number one social network intends to build a fleet to connect all remote areas of the planet.

In addition, today, Facebook announced that Aquila has successfully first off.

We’re proud to announce the first successful test flight of Aquila, the solar airplane we designed to access internet to people living in remote locations bring. We look forward to the rest of the journey Toward making the world more open and connected.

Posted by Facebook on Thursday, July 21, 2016

much remains to be

Next, you should know that this was only a test. The drone has remained in the air for almost 96 minutes, which has allowed Facebook to collect data that will allow it to improve the prototype. The US firm said that many challenges must still be met for Aquila to be fully operational.

One of these is to make the cheapest drone possible because the idea is to offer a cheaper solution than the buried fiber and towers.

one can also cite the battery. Indeed, the drone should be able to collect enough solar energy on the day in order to keep flying at night as the final version will be able to stay aloft for three months. During the first flight, the battery of the drone has not been charged with solar energy.