Report: Facebook buying drone manufacturer
Mar 04, 2014 7:39 AM CST
By MYFOX NEW YORK STAFF
NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) - Facebook is reportedly in talks to buy Titan Aerospace. The company has designed a solar-powered drone that can stay airborne for up to five years.
Techcrunch cited an unnamed source putting the price of the deal at $60 million.
The report speculates that Facebook would use the drones to provide internet access the billions of people across the world who currently are not connected.
Facebook would start building 11,000 of the drones and first deploy the drones over Africa before moving on to other continents.
The deal would be much less than the $19 billion it shelled out to buy Whatsapp.
Titan unveiled the SOLARA atmospheric satellite, capable of carrying telecom, reconnaissance, atmospheric sensors and other payloads, in August 2013.
With its 164 foot wingspan and thousands of high efficiency solar cells, the SOLARA is capable of staying aloft at an altitude of 65,000 feet.
During the day, solar energy powers propulsion and payload and charges battery banks for use at night.
Titan was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Moriarty, New Mexico.
Mar 04, 2014 7:39 AM CST
By MYFOX NEW YORK STAFF
NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) - Facebook is reportedly in talks to buy Titan Aerospace. The company has designed a solar-powered drone that can stay airborne for up to five years.
Techcrunch cited an unnamed source putting the price of the deal at $60 million.
The report speculates that Facebook would use the drones to provide internet access the billions of people across the world who currently are not connected.
Facebook would start building 11,000 of the drones and first deploy the drones over Africa before moving on to other continents.
The deal would be much less than the $19 billion it shelled out to buy Whatsapp.
Titan unveiled the SOLARA atmospheric satellite, capable of carrying telecom, reconnaissance, atmospheric sensors and other payloads, in August 2013.
With its 164 foot wingspan and thousands of high efficiency solar cells, the SOLARA is capable of staying aloft at an altitude of 65,000 feet.
During the day, solar energy powers propulsion and payload and charges battery banks for use at night.
Titan was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Moriarty, New Mexico.