14 DAY TRIAL // This year's Google I/O conference provided more news about Project Loon's status, Google's initiative in providing free Internet access to remote areas of the Globe via a network of Wi-Fi-carrying balloons.
Two very crucial problems on Loon's agenda were fixed, issues with the launch and range of its balloons, which in the long run would have made the entire project nonviable due to the high costs of operation.
For the old launch procedure, Project Loon needed special atmospheric conditions while also requiring the services of a large number of employees. Now Google uses a special construction called Autolauncher, also known internally as “Bird House,” to launch balloons much faster and in much harsher atmospheric conditions.
Previously Loon could launch a balloon every 45 minutes at wind speeds of maximum 6 miles/h (9.6 km/h). Using the Autolauncher, balloons can be shipped out every 15 minutes, in winds of 15 miles/h (24 km/h), and with only four people.
This simplified and automated procedure helps the company because they'll need to have a huge number of balloons in the air to cover a particular geographical area, even if they also announced an improvement in the balloons' range.
Project Loon balloons can now travel farther from ground stations
Whilst previously balloons could not stray away more than 50 miles (80 km) from a ground station without losing their signal, because of an improvement in how balloons talk to each other, their new range is now between 250 and 500 miles (400 and 800 km).
Using a mesh grid network similar to how the Internet itself functions, balloons can now relay Wi-Fi signals to each other, and avoid being tied down around one or more communications tower.
Even if quite some promising news, the project is far from an official launch, with many tests still planned, and many improvements still needed to the balloon fleet's safety, efficiency and viability.
