Facebook unveils first full-scale drone Aquila to bring basic internet access to developing world

Facebook on Saturday unveiled its first full-scale drone Aquila that would be used to bring basic internet access to the developing world. A working model of the plane is now ready for testing, according to the social network.

The solar-powered drone would be able to fly without landing for three months at a time, using a laser beam data to a base station on the ground, the Guardian reported.

The drone's wingspan is that of a Boeing 737 and even when it is loaded with communications gear, Aquila only weighs between 880 to 1,000 lbs - about a third the weight of a Prius.

"When deployed, it will be able to circle a remote region for up to 90 days, beaming connectivity down to people from an altitude of 60,000 to 90,000 [feet]," Facebook said.

It would climb up to its maximum height during the day, before it slowly glides down to its lowest ebb at night to conserve power when its solar panels are not receiving charge, according to The Guardian.

Jay Parikh, Facebook's vice-president of engineering, said that Facebook's mission was to connect everybody in the world and using drones to relay the internet would motivate the industry to move faster.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Aquila would break the record for longest unmanned aircraft flight. ''After two years of engineering, I'm proud to announce the successful first flight of Aquila - the solar-powered plane we designed to beam internet to remote parts of the world,''  Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook.

'' Once they are fully operational, these high-altitude planes will stay airborne for up to 90 days at a time and beam broadband coverage to a 60-mile-wide area on the ground, helping to open the opportunities of the internet to people in underconnected regions,'' Facebook revealed.

A full-time autopilot controls the Aquila. Zuckerberg said that Facebook's goal was to deploy a fleet of Aquilas flying together at 60,000 feet, communicating with each other with lasers and staying aloft for months at a time.