Google Snaps Off Titan Aerospace From Facebook

Google has take over the company Titan Aerospace, which develops the drone to bring Internet access to remote areas. Actually Facebook is supposed to be bought the Titan aero space, which also had interest in the similar area.

Titanium Aerospace manufactures drones, which are powered by solar energy, can stay for five years in the air and fly at high altitude. The company has now taken over for an unknown price by Google. It has about 20 employees and is intended to remain in New Mexico, according to the Wall Street Journal reports.

Titanium Aerospace developed two unmanned aircraft to supply Internet and connecting larger areas. The smaller Solara 50 has a wingspan of 50 meters. An Airbus A320 has a wingspan of 34.10 meters. The large wing area is equipped with solar cells that are to win the necessary operating power for the aircraft.

At first it looked as if Google set for the Internet supply of remote areas on weather balloons, while Facebook is more interested in high-flying drones. But now Google seems to delight even for the technology. The Titan acquired by Google Aerospace builds drones. Industry rumored Facebook was also interested in the company.

Both the weather balloons and the flying drones are going to replace satellites and float in the upper atmosphere and staying relatively longer period. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the team of Titanium Aerospace will now work on Google's weather balloon hotspot Project Loon. The balloons are designed as floating Wi-Fi hotspots to bring the Internet into inaccessible regions of the world.

They are to be used at an altitude of 20 kilometers, where the wind speeds are relatively moderate. A balloon can provide an area with a diameter of about 40 kilometers. The balloons are powered by solar cells. Google had also taken over the past year with Makani a company that builds a flying wind turbine to generate electricity.

Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT) is called Makani and it was taken over by Google himself earlier. This is an unmanned aerial vehicle, on which several wind turbines are mounted. The aircraft is similar to a kite; it is attached to a cable on the ground on which it is held in the air.

The advantage is that the wind is blowing steadily at a higher altitude. Facebook had taken with Ascenta a company that developed an unmanned solar-powered aircraft. The team worked some with even at QinetiQ.

The company developed the Zephyr aircraft, which is already in use for several years and a wingspan of almost 23 meters, has a weight of only 50 kilograms. In 2008, the solar plane managed an unofficial drone world record when it was in the air over 82 hours. 2010 was the QinetiQ Zephyr for two weeks circling over the southwestern United States.