Facebook to acquire drone maker Titan Aerospace

Originally published on March 5, 2014

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Facebook is reportedly buying Titan Aerospace, a company that manufactures solar-powered drones, and is interested in using its drones to provide Internet access to undeveloped parts of the world.

According to TechCrunch, Facebook is in talks to buy the company for $60 million. Titan Aerospace is known for making near-orbital, solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which it says can fly for five years without needing to land.

Reports say Facebook is interested in having Titan Aerospace build 11,000 Solara 60 model UAVs and using the high-flying drones to provide Internet access to parts of the world without Internet access - beginning with Africa - as part of its Internet.org project.

Titan Aerospace's Solara 50 and 60 UAVs can be launched at night using internal battery packs then switch to solar power when the sun rises. They can fly at an altitude of 20 km above sea level and can remain aloft for up to five years without needing to land or refuel. The vehicles can be used for weather monitoring, disaster recovery, Earth imaging and communications.

Both Facebook and Titan Aerospace declined to comment on the deal.

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