Project Loon

In 2008, Google considered contracting with or acquiring Space Data Corp.
, a company that
sends balloons carrying small base stations about 20 miles (32 km) up in the air for providing
connectivity to truckers and oil companies in the southern United States, but didn't do so. [7]
Unofficial development on the project began in 2011 under incubation in Google X with a series
of trial runs in California's Central Valley. The project was officially announced as a Google
project on 14 June 2013.[1]
On 16 June 2013, Google began a pilot experiment in New Zealand where about 30 balloons
were launched in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority from the Tekapo areain the South
Island. About 50 local users in and around Christchurch and the Canterbury Region tested
connections to the aerial network using special antennas. [1] After this initial trial, Google plans on
sending up 300 balloons around the world at the 40th parallel south that would provide coverage
to New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Argentina. Google hopes to eventually have thousands of
balloons flying in the stratosphere.[1][2]
In May 2014, Google X laboratories director, Astro Teller, announced that, rather than negotiate a
section of bandwidth that was free for them worldwide, they would instead become a temporary
base station that could be leased by the mobile operators of the country it was crossing over.
In MayJune 2014 Google tested its balloon-powered internet access venture in Piau, Brazil,
marking its first LTE experiments and launch near the equator.[8]
In 2014 Google partnered with France's Centre national d'tudes spatiales (CNES) on the
project.[9]
In Feb, 2014, the record streak for a balloon lasting in the stratosphere was 50 days. In Nov
2014, the record was 130 days, and in March 2, 2015, the record for a continuous balloon flight is
187 days (over 6 months).
On 28 July 2015, Google signed an agreement with officials of Information and Communication
Technology Agency (ICTA) - Sri Lanka, to launch the technology on a mass scale.[10] As a result,
by March 2016,[10] Sri Lanka will be the second country in the world to get full coverage of internet
using LTE, after Vatican City.
On 29 October 2015, Google agreed to partner with Indonesia's XL
Axiata, Indosat and Telkomsel to bring the technology to the country in the hopes of connecting
its 17,000 islands.[11]
Technology[edit]
Project Loon is Google's pursuit to deploy a high-altitude balloon network operating in
the stratosphere, at altitudes between 18 km and 25 km. Google asserts that this particular layer
of the stratosphere is advantageous because of its relatively low wind speeds (e.g., wind speeds
between 5 and 20 mph / 10 to 30 kmph) and minimal turbulence. Moreover, Google claims that it
can model, with reasonable accuracy, the seasonal, longitudinal, and latitudinal variations in wind
speeds within the 1825 km stratospheric layer.[12]
Given a reasonably accurate model of wind speeds within the 1825 km band, Google claims
that it can control the latitudinal and longitudinal position of high-altitude balloons by adjusting
only the balloon's altitude.[12] By adjusting the volume and density of the gas (e.g., helium,
hydrogen, or another lighter-than-air compound) in the balloon, the balloon's
variable buoyancy system is able to control the balloon's altitude.[12] Google has additionally
indicated that balloons may be constructed from various materials (e.g.,
metalizedMylar or BoPet) or a highly-flexible latex or rubber material (e.g., chloroprene).[12]
Initially, the balloons communicated using unlicensed 2.4 and 5.8 GHz ISM bands,[13] and Google
claims that the setup allows it to deliver "speeds comparable to 3G" to users, but they then
switched to LTE[14] with cellular spectrum by cooperating with local telecommunication operators.
[15]
It is unclear how technologies that rely on short communications times (low latency pings),
such as VoIP, might need to be modified to work in an environment similar to mobile phones
where the signal may have to relay through multiple balloons before reaching the wider Internet.
[16][17]
The first person to connect to the "Google Balloon Internet" after the initial test balloons were
launched into the stratosphere was a farmer in the town of Leeston, New Zealand, who was one
of 50 people in the area around Christchurch who agreed to be a pilot tester for Project Loon.
The New Zealand farmer lived in a rural location that couldn't get broadband access to the
Internet, and had used a satellite Internet service in 2009, but found that he sometimes had to
pay over $1000 per month for the service. The locals knew nothing about the secret project other
than its ability to deliver Internet connectivity; but allowed project workers to attach a basketball-
sized receiver resembling a giant bright-red party balloon to an outside wall of their property in
order to connect to the network.[18][19]
The technology designed in the project could allow countries to avoid using expensive fiber cable
that would have to be installed underground to allow users to connect to the Internet. Google
feels this will greatly increase Internet usage in developing countries in regions such as Africa
and Southeast Asia that can't afford to lay underground fiber cable.[18]
Equipment[edit]
A Project Loon research balloon
The balloon envelopes used in the project are made by Raven Aerostar,[20] and are composed
of polyethylene plastic about 0.076 mm (0.0030 in) thick. The balloons are superpressure
balloons filled with helium, standing 15 m (49 ft) across and 12 m (39 ft) tall when fully inflated.
They carry a custom air pump system dubbed the "Croce"[21] that pumps in or releases air
to ballast the balloon and control its elevation.[1] A small box weighing 10 kg (22 lb) containing
each balloon's electronic equipment hangs underneath the inflated envelope. This box
contains circuit boards that control the system, radio antennas and a Ubiquiti Networks 'Rocket
M2'[22] to communicate with other balloons and with Internet antennas on the ground,
and batteries to store solar power so the balloons can operate during the night. Each balloons
electronics are powered by an array of solar panels that sit between the envelope and the
hardware. In full sun, the panels produce 100 watts of power, which is sufficient to keep the unit
running while also charging a battery for use at night. A parachute attached to the top of the
envelope allows for a controlled descent and landing when a balloon is ready to be taken out of
service.[13] In the case of an unexpected failure, the parachute deploys automatically.[23] When
taken out of service, the balloon is guided to an easily reached location, and the helium is vented
into the atmosphere. The balloons typically have a maximum life of about 100 days, although
Google claims that its tweaked design can enable them to stay aloft for closer to 200 days. [24]
The prototype ground stations use a Ubiquiti Networks 'Rocket M5' [22] radio and a custom patch
antenna[25] to connect to the balloons at a height of 20 km (12 mi).[6] Some reports have called
Google's project the Google Balloon Internet.[2][26][27]
The balloons are equipped with automatic dependent surveillance broadcast and so can be
publicly tracked (along with other balloons) with the call-sign "BALL" [28]

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In 2008, Google considered contracting with or acquiring Space Data Corp.

A Project Loon research balloon

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