Google buys solar-powered drone-maker Titan Aerospace

Originally published April 15, 2014

Google has acquired solar-powered drone maker Titan Aerospace, the internet search giant's latest move in its project to beam internet access to remote parts of the world.

The acquisition comes weeks after Facebook announced plans for a similar project. The social networking company had previously been in talks to buy Titan Aerospace for $60 million, according to an early March report in Techcrunch.

Google last year launched a small network of balloons designed to deliver Internet access over the Southern Hemisphere, dubbed Project Loon.

Facebook is working on its own fleet of drones, satellites and lasers to bring Internet connectivity to underdeveloped parts of the globe where Internet access is not yet widely available.

Last August New Mexico-based Titan unveiled its Solara 50 and 60 unmanned aircraft, the world's first atmospheric satellites powered by the sun with a mission range of more than 4 million kilometres.

An atmospheric satellite is a drone that can conduct many of the operations performed by an orbital satellite but is much cheaper and more versatile.

"Atmospheric satellites could help bring internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation," Google said in an emailed statement confirming the Titan acquisition.

The Solara 50 and Solara 60 can be launched at night using power from internal battery banks.

When the sun rises, the solar panels covering the drones' wings and tails store enough energy to allow them ascend to a position of 65,000 feet above sea level and to stay aloft continuously for five years without ever having to land and refuel.

Despite its massive dimensions, the Solara 50 weighs only 350 pounds and can carry a payload of more than 70 pounds. It can travel at about 64 miles per hour.

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