Company uses drones to modernize cloud seeding for water production

A drone company called Rainmaker says it has produced 143 million gallons of fresh water in Utah and Oregon using cloud seeding technology. The company, founded in 2023, flies unmanned drones into clouds and releases tiny silver iodide particles, which encourage rain or snow to fall. Traditional cloud seeding has used aircraft or ground equipment for decades, but proving it actually worked was difficult. Rainmaker uses radar and satellite systems to track results. By April, it had recorded 82 cases where its operations clearly caused precipitation. Drone delivery allows more precise targeting than older methods. Water shortages have been growing across the western United States, and several companies are now developing new ways to increase rainfall in affected areas.