Search engine giant Google announced on April 14, 2014 that it acquired Titan Aerospace, the maker of solar-powered drones. It has been reported that these drones can be used in order to improve internet access in remote areas.
A spokesperson from Google in an email said, “It’s still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring Internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation”. The spokesperson went on to say that this is the reason why they are so excited to welcome Titan Aerospace to the company’s family.
However, the search engine did not reveal any financial terms of the latest deal. The drones of Titan Aerospace have the capacity to run for five years at an altitude of 65,000 feet. In addition to that, they have the ability to perform functions which are similar to geostationary satellites, but are significantly less expensive.
In the meantime, the search engine is developing Project Loon which makes use of large balloons for transmitting internet signals to regions which are now connected. Even the social networking giant Facebook was interested in spreading the Internet to new territories and was at some point interested in acquiring Titan Aerospace. However, the social networking giant announced in March 2014 that it acquired Ascenta – the British firm which specializes in unmanned solar powered vehicles – instead.
Photo Credits: Pandodaily
