The Aquila Drone will be solar powered.
The Aquila combines a few different modern technologies that will become more and more popular on the ground. The Aquila will have a uniquely blended ‘flight life’ thanks to the fact that it runs on solar energy and batteries. Located above commercial flights but below inner atmosphere satellites, the Aquila is in primary position to maximize its solar absorption. According to the creators of the drone, the Aquila should be able to stay airborne for up to five years at a time. Facebook however plans only to have them airborne for up to three years at a time. With so many drones in the sky, and many likely waiting on the wings, there is no reason to push the technology.
The Code name Aquila comes from the Latin word for ‘Eagle’.
After learning so much about the Facebook Aquila drone we can’t help but feel that the name is quite apt. The code name is derived from the Latin word for Eagle and the Greek mythology associated with the root word is fascinating, and probably pretty apt for the description of the machine. In Greek mythology the Aquila was a gigantic eagle that carried Zeus’s iconic thunderbolts. This sort of backs up how important the Aquila is to Zuckerberg and, well, really everybody else who has a passing interest in the world of technology. Much like Aquila was charged with carrying legendary weapons, the modern drone version is charged with carrying our most precious source of information: the internet.