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In this special issue we will learn more about the Google Loon technology project, which has the objective of connecting the world, but above all, they are not UFOs.
This is a topic that I had pending writing and sooner or later someone was going to generate noise on social networks saying that they are UFOs, Well, they are not and what has been reported in recent days are nothing more than balloons filled with helium, part of a Google project called Loon..
This project, which is not new and that more than once the users of Flight Radar 24 I have been asked what are those points on the Radar that fly more than 58 thousand feet high, has the objective of providing free Internet access to remote areas of the world with limited access to connectivity.
Really, it is very difficult to see them with the naked eye, first because of the high altitude at which they fly and second because of their size, but on certain occasions of light and zero clouds they can be seen moving slowly over the cities, where they could be testing the effectiveness of the connection or simply, moving to another point.
The Google Loon Project
The project started in the year 2011 with basic tests on standard weather balloons and from there the project evolved to the 2013, when the first Loon accomplished a complete circumnavigation of the world in just 22 days and shortly after that same year in New Zealand the first user managed to connect in his remote home to the Loon Internet system.
Billions of people around the world remain without internet access. Loon is a network of balloons that travel to the edge of space and bring connectivity to people in unserved or underserved communities around the world..
Loon partners with mobile network operators globally to extend the reach of its LTE service. Together, help expand coverage to places that lack it, to complement existing networks and provide convenient coverage after natural disasters.
Loon has taken the most essential components of a cell tower and redesigned them to be light enough and durable enough to be carried by a balloon to 20 km high, on the edge of space. Loon balloons are designed and manufactured to withstand harsh conditions in the stratosphere, where the winds can blow more than 100 km / h, and temperatures can drop to -90 °C.
Globo
Made of polyethylene sheets, each tennis court-sized balloon is designed to last more than 100 days before landing back on Earth in a controlled descent.
flight team
All flight equipment is highly energy efficient and powered by renewable energy. Solar panels power the system during the day while a built-in battery charges to enable night operations.
antennas
Antennas broadcast connectivity from ground stations, through a balloon mesh network, and return to a user's LTE phone. A user needs nothing more than a standard LTE phone to connect to a Loon balloon.
Solar panels
Solar panels power equipment during the day and charge a built-in battery to enable nighttime operation.
flight capsule
The flight capsule contains the electronics that command and control the Loon system..
Parachute
A parachute deploys automatically to guide the balloon safely back to Earth after its flight.
Security
You may be wondering about the safety of this operation and aviation. The Loons share airspace with hundreds of commercial flights a day without compromising the safety of operations, first for the highest height in more than 10 thousand feet at which a commercial aircraft can fly and secondly for the control that the project has over these equipment.
Loon's balloons are first moved by air currents, but they are also and can be remotely controlled from the operational control center to change their course or altitude as needed..
Of course, are not without flaws, but despite that in an emergency the technicians can predict its fall, control and even, inform the Civil Aviation authorities of each country to immediately report any incident.
Finally, Google Loon has signed with many country, like Peru, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Ecuador to mention a few, safety agreements for this activity to ensure the safety of all involved.
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