In 2013, a future full of solar-powered drones beaming internet across the globe looked like a sure thing. Huge companies like Facebook and Google were investing millions to get these sun-fueled birds in the air. But after years of setbacks and crashes, Google (technically Alphabet, the Google spinoff that runs this program) is throwing in the towel.
First reported by 9to5Google and confirmed by Business Insider, Google's surrender in the race to create viable solar drones is just another piece of the company's larger retreat from its self-described "moonshots," or far-flung projects dedicated to investigating the Next Big Thing in health, science, consumer technology, transportation, and aerospace. Last year, Google gave up on trying to create the world's first truly modular smartphone and it also has also scaled back its plans for its own self-driving car. Project Titan, the internet-beaming solar drone, is another failed venture on that growing list.
Google says Titan employees will be relocated to other teams within X, the Alphabet subsidiary in charge of moonshots. Most likely, many of the employees will begin working with the Project Loon team, which uses balloons instead of drones to beam internet down from the sky, and Project Wing, which for now is little more than a stunt drone delivery concept to rival Amazon's own drone delivery system.
The only other company still trying to create an internet-emitting solar drone is Facebook, which has faced its own share of adversity with its Aquila drone after that aircraft crashed on its first test flight. Facebook engineers maintain that they can fix the vulnerability.
The rosy future of solar-powered drones has significantly dimmed over the past year. But with the simultaneous proliferation of drones and solar power, it's hard to image these two pieces technology stay apart forever.
Source: Business Insider