Deutsche Welle, 15 April 2014
Google has
purchased the company Titan Aerospace, a manufacturer of solar-powered drones.
The Silicon Valley tech giant wants to harness drones to bring Internet access
to people living in remote locations.
Google
announced on Monday that it had acquired Titan Aerospace, placing it in competition with Facebook to expand global Internet access using drone
technology.
Google did
not say how much the acquisition cost.
Titan
Aerospace, based in the US state of New Mexico, is developing solar-powered
drones that can run for five years at an altitude of 19,812 meters (65,000
feet). The drones look like gliders and have a wingspan of 50 meters (164
feet). The technology is expected to be ready for commercial operations by
2015.
"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," a Google spokesman said in a
press release.
Facebook
was also reportedly interested in acquiring Titan, but opted instead to buy
Ascenta, a British company that specializes in solar-powered drones. The
acquisition cost $20 million (14 million euros).
Google is
also developing Project Loon, which aims to transmit the Internet to remote
locations via large, high-altitude balloons. Titan Aerospace will also work on
Project Loon, according to Google.
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