Intel Drone Light Shows bought by Elon’s brother Kimbal Musk and Nova Sky Stories

Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal Musk, purchased Intel Drone Light Shows from Intel as the semiconductor corporation divests some areas that aren’t critical to its main chipmaking business.

Kimbal Musk was reportedly brought to tears after watching a drone light show constructing the namesake “man” of the annual Burning Man event in 2021.

“When Ralph and his team flew the drones, silence descended on the crowd. This was not a light show. This was the ritual we all had traveled thousands of miles to experience. His art took form in the sky. The Man appeared, 800 feet high. He burnt the Man. We all cried tears of joy, sadness, and everything in between,” Kimbal Musk said in a post on Medium.

Nova Sky Stories buys Intel Drone Light Shows

Kimbal set up a new company called Nova Sky Stories to complete the purchase of the Intel Drone Light Shows as he knew he “had to help bring this art to the skies of every city and town in the world.”

The acquisition of the drone business by Nova Sky Stories was announced on the Intel Drone Light Shows website. No information with regard to the sales price has been disclosed.

Intel Drone Light Shows Bought By Elon'S Brother Kimbal Musk

According to The Register, Intel no longer has any commercial drone operations, which included inspections, land surveying, and mapping. It is unclear if Intel sold off the enterprise drone business or simply folded it.

Kimbal Musk launched Nova Sky Stories in 2022 with the goal of bringing art to the world’s sky.

The Nova Sky Stories deal includes 9,000 Intel light drones, which we’ve seen utilized at major events like the Olympics and Super Bowl halftime shows.

These drone light shows are frequently utilized in place of traditional fireworks.

Intel Drone Light Shows Bought By Elon'S Brother Kimbal Musk And Nova Sky Stories

“They are equipped with the best hardware and software ever created and are the same drones that inspired millions of people during the Olympic Games and the Super Bowl halftime shows,” Kimbal Musk wrote.

A number of people who formerly worked with Intel Drones are now on Musk’s team. Daniel Gurdan, who was the co-founder and CEO of the Ascending Technologies drone startup that became the core of the chipmaker’s drone activities when it was bought in 2016, is one of the more notable names on this list.

Photo: courtesy of Kimbal Musk

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Haye Kesteloo
Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo is a leading drone industry expert and Editor in Chief of DroneXL.co and EVXL.co, where he covers drone technology, industry developments, and electric mobility trends. With over nine years of specialized coverage in unmanned aerial systems, his insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Financial Times, and cited by The Brookings Institute, Foreign Policy, Politico and others.

Before founding DroneXL.co, Kesteloo built his expertise at DroneDJ. He currently co-hosts the PiXL Drone Show on YouTube and podcast platforms, sharing industry insights with a global audience. His reporting has influenced policy discussions and been referenced in federal documents, establishing him as an authoritative voice in drone technology and regulation. He can be reached at haye @ dronexl.co or @hayekesteloo.

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