Attempts to create the “sunny” Internet droners, undertaken by Google and Facebook, failed, which, however, did not stop the little-known Aeroenvironment company with NASA to try his luck in this difficult matter.
According to IEEE Spectrum, we are talking about a massive 10-motor “sunny” drone of HAWK 30, joint development of the Japanese technological giant SoftBank and the American manufacturer of Aeroenvironment UAVs. It is expected that the tests of the device will begin this week at the NASA research center for them. N. Armstrong.
One of the HAWK prototypes was the Helios drone, which crashed during tests in 2003. Of course, it’s too early to talk about the commercial readiness of the project – this can take years, but the need for it is quite obvious. With its launch, the coverage of the remote areas will increase many times.
Helios crash over the Pacific Ocean
Despite the suspension of similar Google and Facebook projects, the newcomer will have to compete with Airbus, and a significant trump card in this confrontation for Aeroenvironment is her cooperation with NASA. So, in accordance with the contract, the space agency will conduct three flight trials, which will give HAWK 30 the opportunity to rise to a height of more than 3000 meters, and if the tests are successful, the height will be increased.
Source — IEEE Spectrum