Previously in an article, we talked about Facebook cancelling their ambitious drone program.
This involved an enormous drone flying through the skies for months at a time without landing. The drone would then spread wireless internet connection around it. Now imagine something like that, the size of a passenger plane, and multiply it by the dozens. Yes, that’s right. Facebook wanted an entire fleet of them covering the entire planet. These massive drones have solar panels on them, so they can charge themselves without ever needing to land.
Facebook Aquila Down:
But that was in the past. Because of mixed problems surrounding development, the internet-beaming drone called Aquila is no more. This week Facebook announced that the project is scrapped entirely. The project, still in its initial phases, will never see the light of day.
This in turn led to problems in certain cities in the United States. You see, prior to the cancellation, project Aquila was in its initial testing phases. This meant certain cities benefited from Aquila’s coverage and testing purposes. Checking flight capabilities, storage, and other categories required a number of testing facilities. These facilities included one in Arizona, where a failed launch back in 2016 occurred. The incident led to a minor crash, causing damage to the prototype.
Another one of the cities affected in Aquila’s cancellation is New Mexico. In Spaceport America, a tourist attraction in the city, Facebook laid the groundwork for a station. But with the scrapping of plans, the area may soon face problems. In Spaceport, plans for a hangar also received cancellation. The hangar was to house the prototype of one of the Aquila drones. Outside the hangar could also play as a ramp to test the drone’s flying and landing capabilities.
With the cancellation of a massive project, it seems Spaceport America may be in hot water. It may not look good as they advertise as a testing site for new space related technology. The environment around the area proved to be quite an obstacle for some of the tests Facebook made. It may soon be an unappealing site for future projects to come.
