Beginning development in 2011, Project Loon, short for Balloon, has taken over Google X testing labs as it attempts to send balloons 20 miles into the air in order to provide a wireless network (of 3G speeds) to those in rural areas who would not usually have access to the Internet (35). With the mission statement: Balloon-powered Internet for everyone, Google has launched 30 of these balloons all over the world beginning in New Zealand and reaching as far as Brazil and South Africa (44). In order to power these polyethylene balloons, Google harnesses the elements such as wind and solar to energize these machines that float around the world using air currents to connect with one another and the Internet users on the ground (29). Technicians can navigate each balloon through the air currents to move the balloons where the most need is. In order to reach the atmosphere, each balloon is filled with helium and is 49 X 39 feet (44). A small box is then added to the inside of each balloon, which is the devices operating system. Each balloon can last approximately 55 days in operation and, when the balloon falls to the earth, a parachute deploys to ensure a safe landing that does not damage the operating system so that it can be used again in another balloon (29). Overall, while Project Loon has begun small, it holds promising and creative potential for the untapped population of people who have been unable to access the Internet until a balloon came along and gave them the tools.
The Google Empire 