DHAKA: Search-engine giant Google likely to acquire Titan Aerospace, a 2-year-old start-up maker of high-altitude solar-powered drones.

USAToday reports on Tuesday.

Though the company did not disclose how much it would pay for Titan.

Google’s gain came at the expense of Facebook, who earlier this year moved to buy the Titan for a reported $60 million but failed.

The 20-person Titan team will be paired with Google’s Project Loon, which is building large, high-altitude balloons that send internet signals to areas of the planet that are currently not online, according to Google.

Titan touts several applications for its drones, including data delivery, crop monitoring and search-and-rescue aid.

Its vehicles can stay aloft for up to five years without having to land or refuel, making them an intriguing possibility for beaming out Internet service, according to drone experts.

‘Titan Aerospace and Google share a profound optimism about the potential for technology to improve the world,’ Google said in a statement Monday.

The statement added ‘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’.

The tech collaboration is expected to yield algorithms for wind prediction and flight planning, according to Google.

BDST: 1649 HRS APR 12, 2014