World's biggest, 75% reusable autonomous drone unveiled

Alabama-based startup Aevum unveiled the biggest autonomous drone in the world that could take small satellites and tactical nuclear warheads to space.

The drone, called Ravn X, is a fully autonomous vehicle. It is 80 feet long, and has a 60-foot wingspan, with a total max weight of 55,000 pounds including payload, TechCrunch reported.

The interesting part about the drone is that 70 per cent of the system is fully reusable and the company aims to develop it to a poit where it is almost 95 per cent reusable.

The space logistics and launch services startup recently gained the US Air Force's attention and got over $12 million contracts from them, according to media reports.

"Ravn X’s delivery system is designed for rapid response delivery and can get small satellites to orbit in as little as 180 minutes — with the capability of having it ready to fly and deliver another again fairly shortly after that. It uses traditional jet fuel, the same kind used on commercial airliners, and it can take off and land in virtually any weather," CEO Jay Skylus told Techcrunch.

The company has been working on the design of the drone for the last five years. Skylus told Business Insider that he mulled the concept a decade before that as he hopped from NASA to one space startup after another.

More than 100 startups like Aevum are in the race to dominate the small-launch industry which has gained prominence in recent years. These companies have gained attention with the growing thirst for space exploration and technological advancements.