Facebook wanted to test the drones’ ability to relay Internet signals in a number of frequency bands, including the Ka band (27.5 to 29.7 gigahertz), V band (47.2 to 48.2 GHz), and some narrow K and Ka bands proposed by the International Telecommunication Union specifically for
high-altitude platforms like the Aquila. A future fleet of Aquila drones would connect with each other using free-space laser optical links, centered around 1550 nm.
Facebook is not the first tech company to express an interest in testing Internet drones at the Spaceport. In 2016, Google tested a
5G system called SkyBender there, using an optionally-piloted aircraft and possibly its own high-altitude drones. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, terminated that ‘moonshot’ program in 2017.