Google parent Alphabet shuts down Loon, service that used balloons to deliver internet access
Google parent company Alphabet is shutting down Loon, an ambitious service aimed at delivering internet access to remote areas using balloons.
In a blog post published Thursday, Astro Teller, the "captain of moonshots" at experimental lab X, which is focused on breakthrough tech, said a small group of employees will remain with the Loon team to wrap up projects, including a pilot service in Kenya.
Teller said that despite the technical achievements made since Loon's unveiling in 2013, "the road to commercial viability has proven much longer and riskier than hoped."
"We hope that Loon is a stepping stone to future technologies and businesses that can fill in blank spots on the globe’s map of connectivity," Teller wrote.
Project Loon beams the internet from balloons flying at altitudes twice as high as commercial aircraft, with the goal of providing access to more remote areas.
The technology had been tested in Kenya, New Zealand and Peru. In 2017, the project deployed balloons to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the region, knocking out cellphone towers. In 2019, Loon announced balloons used in the project had logged more than 1 million hours of flight in Earth's stratosphere.
Big Tech: Want to get away from it? Here’s how
Trump ban on Facebook: Oversight board to review indefinite suspension
Jessica Guynn contributed to this report. Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alphabet Loon shuts down: Google parent ends internet balloon project
