What is Project Loon
?
Project
Loon is a study
and development project being
developed by Google with the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas.
Technology
The balloons will drift through the
stratosphere—which is about twice as high as commercial planes fly—to deliver
3G service to off-the-grid areas. They are carried around the Earth by winds
and they can be steered by rising or descending to an altitude with winds
moving in the desired direction. People connect to the balloon network using a
special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal bounces from
balloon to balloon, then to the global Internet back on Earth.
Google launched 30
balloons so far around Canterbury, New Zealand, as part of an effort to build a
global ring of balloon-borne Internet relay points in the stratosphere. Depending on the success of the
project, Google had decided to carry Project Loon to different nations and looks
like India might be one of the lucky ones.
A decade ago, the European Union founded the
CAPANINA project to deliver broadband from high-altitude platforms in the
stratosphere. Back in 2005, it successfully produced broadband wireless access
at distances of up to 37 miles (60 kilometers) from a free-floating balloon in
the stratosphere over northern Sweden.
Tim
Tozer, an expert on wireless, satellite, and HAP communications at the
University of York in Great Britain, was part of that effort. He spoke with
National Geographic about the current state of the science—and the promising
future beyond Google's balloons.
HOW
LOON WORKS
Project Loon balloons travel around 20 km above
the Earth’s surface in the stratosphere. Winds in the stratosphere are
generally steady and slow-moving at between 5 and 20 mph, and each layer of
wind varies in direction and magnitude. Project Loon uses software algorithms
to determine where its balloons need to go, then moves each one into a layer of
wind blowing in the right direction. By moving with the wind, the balloons can
be arranged to form one large communications network.Project Loon is able to
take advantage of the steady stratospheric winds, and remain well above weather
events, wildlife and airplanes.
HOW IS
LOON DESIGNED
The balloon envelope is the name for the
inflatable part of the balloon. The balloons are made of polyethylene plastic.
They are approximately 15 meters in diameter and the entire apparatus is about
12 meters tall. Each balloon is powered via solar panels. They are specially
constructed for use in superpressure balloons, which are longer-lasting than
weather balloons because they can withstand higher pressure from the air inside
when the balloons reach float altitude. A parachute attached to the top of the
envelope allows for a controlled descent and landing whenever a balloon is
ready to be taken out of service.
The balloons will float along the winds in the
stratosphere, approximately 20km above the surface. At such a distance, they
cannot be seen with the naked eye. Each balloon is equipped with transceivers
to communicate with nearby balloons and with a regional ground station and the
specialized antenna Google developed to receive the signal. The balloons
provide the equivalent of 3G service using the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz ISM bands in
an area that’s roughly 40 kilometers in diameter. They also communicate with
each other to maintain the positioning necessary to form a functioning network.The
company adds that the balloons are designed to stay aloft for “100+ days.”
While the project is still in pilot phase and
the chances of it coming to India are still isolated, it would definitely be favourable
to most Indians. India being a developing nation still needs to reach out to
rural areas and educate them about the internet. With Project Loon, rural areas
will not just get internet but can even learn more about surfing.
What is Project Loon
?
Project
Loon is a study
and development project being
developed by Google with the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas.
The balloons will drift through the
stratosphere—which is about twice as high as commercial planes fly—to deliver
3G service to off-the-grid areas. They are carried around the Earth by winds
and they can be steered by rising or descending to an altitude with winds
moving in the desired direction. People connect to the balloon network using a
special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal bounces from
balloon to balloon, then to the global Internet back on Earth.
Google launched 30
balloons so far around Canterbury, New Zealand, as part of an effort to build a
global ring of balloon-borne Internet relay points in the stratosphere. Depending on the success of the
project, Google had decided to carry Project Loon to different nations and looks
like India might be one of the lucky ones.
A decade ago, the European Union founded the
CAPANINA project to deliver broadband from high-altitude platforms in the
stratosphere. Back in 2005, it successfully produced broadband wireless access
at distances of up to 37 miles (60 kilometers) from a free-floating balloon in
the stratosphere over northern Sweden.
Tim
Tozer, an expert on wireless, satellite, and HAP communications at the
University of York in Great Britain, was part of that effort. He spoke with
National Geographic about the current state of the science—and the promising
future beyond Google's balloons.
The balloon envelope is the name for the
inflatable part of the balloon. The balloons are made of polyethylene plastic.
They are approximately 15 meters in diameter and the entire apparatus is about
12 meters tall. Each balloon is powered via solar panels. They are specially
constructed for use in superpressure balloons, which are longer-lasting than
weather balloons because they can withstand higher pressure from the air inside
when the balloons reach float altitude. A parachute attached to the top of the
envelope allows for a controlled descent and landing whenever a balloon is
ready to be taken out of service.
The balloons will float along the winds in the
stratosphere, approximately 20km above the surface. At such a distance, they
cannot be seen with the naked eye. Each balloon is equipped with transceivers
to communicate with nearby balloons and with a regional ground station and the
specialized antenna Google developed to receive the signal. The balloons
provide the equivalent of 3G service using the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz ISM bands in
an area that’s roughly 40 kilometers in diameter. They also communicate with
each other to maintain the positioning necessary to form a functioning network.The
company adds that the balloons are designed to stay aloft for “100+ days.”
While the project is still in pilot phase and
the chances of it coming to India are still isolated, it would definitely be favourable
to most Indians. India being a developing nation still needs to reach out to
rural areas and educate them about the internet. With Project Loon, rural areas
will not just get internet but can even learn more about surfing.
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