Bottom line: Loon, the Alphabet subsidiary tasked with bringing Internet access to some of the most remote parts of the world, is shutting downward. The projection was risky from the get go and ultimately, the squad wasn't able to figure out how to arrive a commercially viable venture.

Projection Loon, equally it was originally called, started as a inquiry and development project nether Google 10 back in 2022. With it, Google and parent visitor Alphabet used high-altitude balloons to create makeshift wireless networks to blanket remote regions with Internet access.

In 2022, the project was spun off every bit a separate visitor called Loon LLC.

The issue, as Loon CEO Alistair Westgarth noted, is that "Loon has been chasing the hardest problem of all in connectivity — the last billion users." Loon tackled a serial of "firsts" and solved many problems yet despite finding numerous partners forth the way, they still oasis't establish a way to get costs downwardly to a level that is sustainable over the long-term.

Astro Teller, head of X, said a small grouping of the Loon team will be sticking around to ensure the project winds downward smoothly and safely. Nigh of the other employees volition exist moving on, finding alternative roles at 10, Alphabet, Google and elsewhere.

With any luck, Loon'southward technology can be put to use by other innovators to assist further span the digital divide around the globe.