Amazon Prime Air has started delivering packages via drones in the US

Amazon has started delivering orders by drone in the United States on a small scale. The Amazon Prime Air delivery program operates in two cities in the US states of Texas and California.

The residents of Lockeford and College Station can sign up for the service, writes Ars Technica. After placing an order, a delivery time is given, after which the drone must deliver the ordered package to the customer’s garden at the set time.

Amazon Prime Air drone

The places were chosen by Amazon for the pilot because of their population, air space and favorable location. Lockeford has a population of around 3,500 and is located southeast of the California city of Sacramento. The population of College Station is over 120,000 and is approximately 161 kilometers from Houston. The ultimate goal is to expand the service to more cities.

Last June, Amazon announced the pilot. Two months later, the company received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flying authority to use drones for package delivery. The maximum payload for the drones is 2.2 kg. Amazon says 85 percent of its shipments fall under that weight, wrote Bloomberg in April.

Amazon uses a hexagonal MK27-2 delivery drone with six propellers. At the moment, the company is mainly focused on safe transit. The drones fly independently and use algorithms to avoid obstacles such as power lines and chimneys, while Amazon employees keep an eye on deliveries.