In 2013, tech giant Google initiated an ambitious project to beam internet through solar drones. This was the time when technology was still on its way to gain complete momentum across the world. However, due to various reasons which include poor publicity and alteration in the name for the technology, the project to beam internet via solar drones is dead.
Since Google has pulled itself out silently from the project, the notion will not be scuffled altogether. Instead, Google will replace it with Loon hot-air balloon project which is much more native, applicable and spontaneous in nature. The new project may not be as ambitious as the former was; however, it will still be some achievement for the tech giant if executed as planned.
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Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail
The project was drowned due to plenty of ambiguities ever since it came under the umbrella of Google’s moonshot projects: The X. Another gigantic plan of the Google, which came into existence in 2015, was crashed in an Arizona desert. As a result, it shamed company’s reputation which got the identity from its parent company Titan Aerospace.
Google also made sincere efforts in executing the broadcast of 5G data along with Titan but the project was discovered to be unapproachable in early 2016. Some of the key reasons were dearth of budgets along with quite a few practical and technical complications of the project.
“We ended our exploration of high-altitude UAVs for internet access shortly after (Titan joined X). By comparison, at this stage the economics and technical feasibility of Project Loon present a much more promising way to connect rural and remote parts of the world”
All is not lost for Google. Being the leading global tech company, they can make a ruthless comeback. Even Facebook is loyally behind their notion of solar-powered Aquila drone which was off to poor start after a crash in its first flight.
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The tech monster is also working on another moonshot, the Project Wing. It works around the notion of revolutionary internet delivery. It would be really interesting to see whether these projects really progress well as the company has planned.
Source: Bloomberg