Air space giant Airbus has tested a solar-powered aircraft that it hopes will bring the Internet to the billions of people around the world.
The company announced that its Zephyr, unmanned sailboat with two small propellers, could spend six months in the air.
Plane has already conducted its first test flights in civil airspace, collecting a total of 36 days in the air on just two flights.
When in the air, it flies in the stratosphere - above airplanes and below satellites.
Unlike alternatives, it will be cheaper, more environmentally friendly and easier to manage.
And it can easily land and take off which makes it action-ready for next mission fast.
It has huge potential to reach people we traditionally won’t be able to reach with fiber optic broadband cables, and there really are no limits of its usage.
According to UNICEF data from 2020, two thirds of school children in the world and about 1.3 billion people do not have internet connections in their homes. This could be a game changer for them.
The company is also considering it for use in disaster zones and other areas where real-time information is needed.
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