Google announced that it had acquired Titan Aerospace, a drone maker, on Monday for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition will likely help the tech company with Project Loon, which aims to provide more people worldwide gain access to the Internet. Businessweek reports that Titan's drones could help Google in other ways as well, including through navigation and snapping pictures of the earth.
"It's still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring Internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation," Google spokesman Tim Drinan said. "It's why we're so excited to welcome Titan Aerospace to the Google family."
Back in March, it was learned that Facebook was also interested in possibly buying the company for a reported $60 million. Though Facebook didn't snag Titan, their goal was also believed to be the same. While Google has Project Loon, Facebook is involved with Internet.org, who also seeks to provide affordable Internet access to billions who don't currently have any access.
Titan's unmanned aerial vehicles use the Sun for energy and are capable of flying nearly 20 kilometers into the air for about five years before needing to come back down.