Facebook's large drone – Aquila – had a successful test flight and remained in the air for 90 minutes, three times longer than expected, according to Facebook.
Aquila was announced at the F8 conference in March 2015, and while smaller drones have been flown before, this is the first test of the full-sized version. Its main purpose, according to the company, is to provide internet to the 4 billion people in the world who don't have access.
The drone has a wingspan comparable to a Boeing 737 and the final product will be able to fly at altitudes between 60,000 and 90,000 for a period of three months.
Although it is large and expected to remain in flight for a long time, the drone is expected to consume only the same amount of energy as a hair dryer or microwave oven.
“Aquila is a solar-powered airplane that can be used to bring internet to hundreds of millions of people in the most inaccessible places. When completed, Aquila will be able to encompass an area up to 60 miles in diameter, beaming connectivity at altitudes of over 60,000 feet using lasers and millimeter wave systems,” the company said in a statement.
Aquila is a key part of Facebook's extensive plan to bring the world online through Internet.org.
"Our ultimate goal is to have a fleet of Aquilas flying together at 60,000 feet, communicating with each other via lasers , and staying aloft for months — something that's never been done before," Zuckerberg wrote.
That ambitious goal is still several years away, though. Zuckerberg notes that there are still many hurdles to overcome, such as how to make the craft even lighter and how to reduce its reliance on ground crews to help operate it.
