Google has bought New Mexico-based drone manufacturer Titan Aerospace, it was announced Monday.
Although the terms of the sale are yet to be disclosed, the deal is aimed at bringing Internet access to remote parts of the world.
Titan’s atmospheric satellites, which are still in development, can apparently stay in the air for as long as five years.
The drones’ other uses are said to include atmospheric and weather monitoring, voice and data communications, providing disaster relief and assessing environmental damage.
Titan and its staff of 20 employees will stay in New Mexico, and Vern Raburn, chief executive officer, will continue to run the business.
In March, Facebook were in talks to buy Titan, but instead bought UK-based solar drone firm Ascenta.
Both Google and Facebook have launched projects with the hope of getting the entire world online, with Google’s Project Loon sending giant balloons containing Internet-beaming antennas into the stratosphere.
