Amazon Plans to Start Delivering Packages by Drone
Last Friday Amazon said it will start to deliver packages through drones, in College Station, Texas, later this year.
However, this isn't the first place to recieve such news. Last month, Amazon announced it will deliver packages via drones in Northern California town of Lockeford, which was the first announcement regarding the launch of Prime Air drone deliveries.
Prime Air Drones
According to the company, these drones are capable of delivering up to five pounds worth of packages, all in less than an hour. These drones can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, and fly at up to 400 feet.
The Prime Air drones fly to the desired destination, lower the altilude in the shopper's backyard, and release the package from a safe height. The drone then flies back to the base, the company explained.
History of the Program
The program was first introduced in 2013, when the company's CEO Jeff Bezos said that Amazon was testing the new technology, promising half-hour shipping time through the Prime Air drones. This was expected to arrive by 2018.
The progress has since been growing as Amazon got approval by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate its drones for delivery. However, there have been few setbacks, as there have been reports of numerous crashes and high turnover. One of the incidents is said to have caused 20-acre brush fire in eastern Oregon, according to Business Insider. However, Amazon spokesperson Av Zammit said.
“The package delivery operations in College Station will not be experimental operations,” Zammit said in a statement. “Instead, they will be conducted under an air carrier certificate issued by the FAA that enables commercial deliveries and shows that our comprehensive processes meet the FAA’s high safety bar.”
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