Facebook’s High Altitude Internet Drone Is Broader Than A 737

March 27, 2015
The development of this drone is part of Facebook’s initiative to spur global connectivity.

At its F8 developers conference today, Facebook offered a first look at a solar-powered drone capable of beaming internet access to remote areas around the globe.

Built by Ascenta, the solar-powered drone developer Facebook acquired last year for $20 million, the drone is huge. It has a wingspan larger than that of a Boeing 737 (about 95 feet), and weighs as much as a small car. It is designed to fly at altitudes of 60,000 to 90,000 feet, and to stay in the air for months at a time. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today that the company successfully completed its first test flight of the aircraft in the United Kingdom.

More details here.