Amazon has decided to stop testing its delivery drones for now after two of them crashed during trials. This news comes from Bloomberg and highlights the challenges facing Amazon’s Prime Air program, which is designed to deliver an ambitious 500 million packages each year to customers by the end of the decade.
The crashes occurred in December when two drones collided during a test at a facility in Pendleton, Oregon. The weather was rainy, which likely contributed to the mishap. Earlier, in September, there was also an incident where drone operators were experimenting with what would happen if one of a drone’s propellers failed. Unfortunately, they accidentally launched two drones at the same time, leading them to crash into each other.
As a precaution, Amazon has decided to put a hold on drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona, where they have been conducting commercial operations. This pause will remain in effect until the company updates the software that controls the drones to ensure safer operations.
The Prime Air drone program has been facing a series of difficulties, including the departure of important team members. Just last April, Amazon had to stop its drone delivery tests in California, though they are looking to continue testing these drones in other countries in the future.
