Amazon is testing out new delivery options -- and this one feels like science fiction.
The retail giant has launched drone delivery in locations in Texas and California.
After announcing the pilot program over the summer, Vice President of Amazon Prime Air David Carbon confirmed that deliveries are now in flight.
"First deliveries from our new sites in TX and CA," Carbon wrote in a LinkedIn post on Christmas Eve. "These are careful first steps that we will turn into giant leaps for our customers over the next number of years. Customers are our obsession, safety is our imperative, the future of delivery is our mandate, technology is unlocking that future."
Once the delivery system is official, customers will be able to place Prime Air orders on eligible products.
The drones can carry packages up to five pounds and can fly up to 50 miles per hour, with delivery in less than an hour. Amazon says the aircraft is equipped with "sophisticated and industry-leading sense-and-avoid system that will enable operations without visual observers and allow our drone to operate at greater distances while safely and reliably avoiding other aircraft, people, pets, and obstacles."
The new delivery method is being tested in Lockeford, California and College Station, Texas -- both locations the company selected for specific reasons.
Lockeford has historic links to the aviation industry, Amazon said in a statement in June. The community boasts one of the early pioneers of aviation -- Weldon B. Cooke, who built and flew early planes in the early 1900s -- as a former resident.
As for College Station, Amazon cited the innovative research conducted by Texas A&M University, saying in July that it was thrilled to partner with the city and its world-class university on some of the great work they've been doing in the area drone technology.
Residents in both cities "will play an important role in defining the future."
"Their feedback about Prime Air, with drones delivering packages in their backyards, will help us create a service that will safely scale to meet the needs of customers everywhere—while adding another innovation milestone to the town’s aviation history," Amazon said.
A team of safety, aerospace, science, robotics, software, hardware, testing, and manufacturing experts have been working for almost a decade to make Amazon's drone delivery possible.
"Our team has logged thousands of flight hours and put our drones through rigorous testing and evaluation," Amazon said. "Nearly a decade of building, testing, and iterating has taught us valuable lessons. In fact, just through the last two years of testing, we have made over 188 updates to our system that have improved aspects like noise and equipment ergonomics. It's why we now have some of the world's most sophisticated hardware, software, and autonomy capability when it comes to drone delivery."
The company is currently working on its next generation delivery drone: the MK30, due to come into service in 2024. The new design with custom-designed propellers is expected to reduce the aircraft's perceived noise by another 25%.
"This drone will be lighter and smaller than the MK27-2, the drone that will be making deliveries in Lockeford and College Station," Amazon said. "The MK30's increased range, expanded temperature tolerance, safety-critical features, and new capability to fly in light rain will enable customers to choose drone delivery more often."
Amazon received a Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2020, which authorizes it to operate as an airline and deliver small packages via drone.
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