so182016 (2) The technology behind Aqua The technology behind Aquila Roe © wwrczucwersena - mHuRsDAy suev2s 2016 rapa co (On June 2bth, we completed the first successful fight of Aquila -- our solar-powered plane rrochmasit that will beam internet to remote parts of the world and eventually break the record for gmt longest unmanned aircraft flight. Raver ‘The Might took place before dawn in Yura, Arizona. Our oiginal mission was to fly Aquila fee ‘for go minutes, but things went so well that we decided to keep the plane up for 96 minutes. and alter two years of isk ‘We gathered ots of data about our models and the airerafl structure: evelopment, it was emotional to see Aquila actually get off the ground. But as big as this milestone is, we stil havea lot of work to do, Eventually, our goal isto have Rehman post fleet of Aquila fying together at 60,000 feet, communicating with each other with lasers gg ttre and staying aloft for months ata time ~ something that's never been done before, ent ‘To get there, we need to solve some difficult engineering challenges. Here are a few that we're workingon suamen" ‘Weight Aquila basa wingspan wider than Boeing 77, but has to weigh site as wae possblto stay up fora ong as posible. Tats why the body ofthe planes made ofa manahseond Mi cmon, carbon fiber composite so the whole thing weighs less than 1,000 pounds ~- or about the fina gorpin, Weal toe oak tn P= The ct fe Ap al fon he ts rng th dy ata th coke propels, conmnstn pds heer anaM ates ning wien idk int mene ng aos 5000 of oer aeons raha seh a the anes Were sae wae tht vn ad al yee mor efit [fh omwnene contro —— Acnila is mostly sel-suficient, but ft still relies on a ground crew of about a control the aireaft through software which allows them to determine heading, altitude and shes ne pum 87 LCC Intputwwn facebook comMnsesinark-zuckerborgthe-tecnology-bohind-aqula/10159816196508694 ue0182016 (2) The technology beh Aguila airspeed ~- oF send Aquila on « GPS-based route, Takeoff and landing are automatic, since no ‘human pilot ean land in a precise location as wel as software can. ‘Speed ~ When you see Aquila fly, one of the most surprising things is how slow it goes. ‘That's on purpose. In order to use the least amount of energy, Aquila needs to go as slow 2s possible. At higher altitudes, where the aris thinner, well be able to go abit faster about 80 mph. Altitude ~-In order to take off, ly and land, Aquil's wings and propellers have to be able to operate both in high, old altudes and lower, warmer altitudes where the a can be 10 times denser. We're working to figure out how much power that takes and what impact it will have on solar panel performance, batery size latitude range and seasonal performance. Aguil’s shape deforms under load. A few more fights will help us better understand the actual in-flight dynamics, Communications ~- Aquila will carry a communications payload that wil use lasers to ‘transfer data more than 10 times faster than existing systems. It will be able to aim its beams precisely enough tohita dime more than 11 miles away while in motion, reer cue or or Bren Over the next year we're going to keep testing Aquila ~ flying higher and longer, and adding sore planes and payloads. I's all part of our mission to conneet the world and help more of the 4 billion people who are not online access al the opportunites of the internet. Intpsutwwn facebook comMnstesinark-zuckerborgthe-tecnology-bohind-aqua/10159816196508694 ana palace oovanot Fev pote Apa “elena nen an Rar han al sed tes pt yet edt rr eet aja Ate aco. eines Pot [fh omwnene oe [frmnne Bw ae0182016 (2) The technology beh Aguila As we make progress, well continue sharing what we learn. To learn more, check out this a note from our engineers: hitps://code.faeehook.com/posts/268, Thanks forcomngslongforthe ie @ Intpsutwwn facebook comMnstesinark-zuckerborgthe-tecnology-bohind-aqua/10159816196508694 fanaa, intaow we hav S00 Ue Replys to0-wN22at2 se8 saya ast0182016 (2) The technology behind Aqua Bl cere rtearerrnnetcomnarannicnnamencn ant (are OOSOSOSOSOOCC*?' ome Bee The technology behind Aquila ‘OndJne 28, we complete the firs set ight of Agila ~ oor solar-powered ‘plane that wil beam iteretto remote porta he word abd evel break the ecord forlongest unmanned aeat ight The igh took place before dawn in Yuma Arizoes Our orginal isionwasto ly Aga foro minutes bit things went so wel hat we desided okoep the plane upfor 96 Le Reply 998+ 24a 0556 nglan Uo) 82 sy Si) ab a st syed Bauer apa Intp two facebook comMnstesinark-zuckerborgthe-tecnology-bohind-aqula/10159816196508694 = F Sree EAM carver on oso! aja Ate cor. Lh ye Masri 46