Google revealed top-secret plans Saturday to send balloons to the edge of space with the lofty aim of bringing Internet to the two-thirds of the global population currently without web access.
Scientists from the technology giant released as much as 30 helium-filled test balloons flying 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) above Christchurch in New Zealand, carrying antennae associated with ground base stations.
While still in early stages, “Project Loon” hopes eventually to launch a large number of balloons to supply Internet to remote areas of the planet, allowing significantly more than four billion people without any access to obtain online. “Project Loon is definitely an experimental technology for balloon-powered Access to the internet,” Google said in a statement.
