To connect the entire world, Facebook needs the infrastructure to reach people in remote places. Its big idea: a network of drones that beam internet from the sky.

Today, Facebook is announcing their first test flight of its first Aquila drone. It flew for 96 minutes, more than three times longer than Facebook engineers planned.

Aquila is essentially one big wing, spanning 113 feet and weighing less than the average car. The entire drone is run by a computer, which engineers refer to as "autopilot." For takeoff, Aquila was strapped onto a dolly and hurled down a runway. When the computer sensed that the drone was moving fast enough to take off, the straps were cut, and Aquila reached for the sky.